What We Choose to Become - Aftermath
by splendidlyimperfect
Summary: The battle with the dragons left everyone in pieces, and Sting and Rogue still haven't dealt with the demons of their past. / A/N: This story is being rewritten! Please check out be my sanctuary for the new story. Both 'Sanctuary' and 'Aftermath' will be rewritten into the new story.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This story is being rewritten! Please check out 'be my sanctuary' for the new story. Both 'Sanctuary' and 'Aftermath' will be rewritten into the new story.**_

 _This is the second part in the "What We Choose to Become" series. You don't *have* to read "Sanctuary" first, but I would recommend it._

 _CW for past child abuse, past child sexual abuse, PTSD, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Trigger warnings will also be posted on each individual chapter._

* * *

"…he's breathing…the other one…another healer…"

A roaring sound filled Sting's ears, fragments of conversation passing through the sound and filtering into his brain.

"…is awake, get over here."

The voice was unfamiliar, and Sting tried to open his eyes. He found himself staring up at a dark-haired man with a deep scar down the side of his face, crouched over Rogue's body. A faint circle of magic was beginning to form under his body.

"That's too far, you'll never make it to Magnolia." Another voice, this one farther away and blurry. Sting struggled to sit up, and the scarred man turned to place a hand on his elbow.

"I have to try. Hold on." The last part was directed at Sting, who frowned in confusion but grasped the man's arm. The scene around him was resolving slowly, and it began to come back to him. The Eclipse Gate, dragons, Future Rogue…

"Rogue!" He tried to shout, but his voice came out as barely a whisper. The man squeezed his arm.

"You'll be alright. Just hold on."

There was a sickening tug deep in his stomach, and then everything was bright and hard, and someone was screaming. Sting managed to turn away before vomiting, and he grunted at the pain as his chest tightened.

"…boy needs a healer…head wound…friend hurt too…" The words and the voice they were attached to felt far away, like they were traveling through some sort of maze before reaching his ears. Everything around him stretched and contorted in dizzying ways, and Sting planted his hands firmly on the ground, trying to steady himself.

A gentle hand on his lower back made him flinch, tumbling backward against a wall.

"Don' touch," he mumbled incoherently. "Wh's R-gggnnnnh." His chest was on fire and he clutched at it desperately. A figure stood in front of him, hand outstretched, magic flickering from their fingertips.

"…going to put him to sleep…"

Despite his feeble attempts to push the hand away, whoever was behind it pushed through his defenses and placed a hand on the side of his face. He shuddered, then felt the cool magic flowing through his body and let himself succumb to the darkness.

"Who's next?" Doranbolt appeared next to Lahar, hands on his knees, panting and out of breath. Lahar jumped a bit, startled.

"You made it there _and_ back?" Doranbolt grinned up at him. "You should probably rest."

"I can make it once more, I think," he replied, slowly catching his breath. "Maybe twice. Who else needs immediate attention?" Lahar glanced around the group. They had moved everyone into the castle, carrying some wizards on stretchers if they weren't able to walk. Luckily, most of the injuries were superficial or able to be treated by the healers amongst his knights.

"Someone help!" Lahar looked around and his gaze landed on the pink-haired dragon slayer, looking desperate and kneeling next to another young man. A healer rushed over to them, and Lahar and Doranbolt followed.

The healer knelt down next to Natsu, and peered into Gray's face. His eyes were unfocused and his breathing was rapid and shallow. She placed her hands above Gray's chest and they began to glow with magic.

"He won't answer me," Natsu gasped frantically. His hands were on Gray's shoulders and he shook him gently. "Gray, c'mon, its me. Look at me. Please." Gray's eyes drifted slowly to Natsu, brow furrowing in confusion.

"N-natsu?" He mumbled. His lips had taken on a bluish hue.

"Right here, you idiot," Natsu murmured, touching the ice mage's face. A stain of red remained on Gray's cheek, and Natsu stared down at his palm, deep red from the blood soaking through the bandage around Gray's waist. The burn running up Gray's chest was blistering now, and Natsu suppressed the urge to gag. "Stay with me, okay?"

"'S Rogue…okay?" Gray's words slurred together, then his eyes rolled upward and he gasped. "H-hurts."

"I know," Natsu said, gripping Gray's hand as tightly as he could. "I know it does, it'll be okay. We did it. Rogue's alive and the dragons are gone. Just focus on me now, okay?"

"Mn," Gray murmured, and his arm stiffened. His torso began to quiver, and his eyes rolled back again.

"I can't do any more," the exhausted healer said apologetically. "He's lost too much blood."

Doranbolt knelt down beside the two boys, placing his hands on their shoulders.

"I've got this," he said, squeezing Natsu's shoulder reassuringly before porting them all away.

Waking up from the magically induced sleep was like drowning in reverse. Sting gasped around the weight in his chest, struggling to pull himself back to the real world.

"Hey, calm down, you're alright." A familiar voice, bright pink hair…Sting blinked a few times and tried to sit up, breathing heavily. "Morning, sleepyhead." Natsu was sitting in a chair next to his bed, looking exhausted but otherwise unharmed. They were in a small, plain looking room with a wide window overlooking a large city.

"Where…" Sting coughed, his voice raspy. "Where are we?"

"The hospital in Magnolia," Natsu replied, passing Sting a cup of water. He downed it gratefully, then stretched and rubbed his eyes. "Not far from the guild. You've been out for a couple days."

"Days?" Sting asked, confused. The last thing he remembered was a burning city, fighting a dragon, and _Rogue's cold body in his arms._ He gasped, feeling the memory like a punch in the stomach.

"Hey, it's okay," Natsu reassured, reaching out for Sting's wrists. "Take deep breaths."

Sting felt himself losing control, unable to form the words. His chest tightened and he felt his breathing turn shallow and desperate. _Rogue's body, lying on the ground. Pressing kisses to a cold, still face. Crying into his hair. Grasping at his hands as Natsu pulled him away from Rogue's body. His body. Oh god, he was so still and everything inside Sting was so broken and-_

"Sting." Natsu's voice floated through his nightmare. "Sting, it's alright, Rogue is alive." _He had been so still. Sting couldn't hear his heartbeat and he'd known that Rogue was gone._ "Sting! Look at me." _The pain had been unimaginable. Not physical, but something deep in his chest that tried to claw its way through his ribcage._

"Sting, look beside you." The words were firm, and the pressure on his wrists increased. "Look, Rogue is right there. He's…alive." A small part of Sting's brain registered the hesitation in Natsu's voice, but the rest of him ignored it as he turned and saw Rogue.

He was lying in a bed just like Sting's, bandages covering the right half of his head, dark bruises under each eye. Sting scrambled from his bed, tearing his wrists from Natsu's, and reached out to Rogue. A faint, rhythmic heartbeat fluttered underneath his fingertips, and he collapsed to the floor, sobbing in relief. Rogue's hand was warm, and he clutched it in his own, pressing it against his face as he cried.

Natsu settled himself onto the floor next to Sting and carefully placed an arm around the other boy's shoulder, pulling him into his chest. Sting buried his face in Natsu's shoulder, shuddering at the familiar position. But this time it was relief, not grief, that was driving his tears.

They sat on the floor together for some time, until a healer came in and insisted on checking Sting to make sure he was okay. It took all of Sting's willpower not to snap at the man not to touch him, but he managed to sit still until the healer told him that he was physically fine, other than a few scrapes and bruises. The pain from Ultear's spell had vanished, causing no lasting damage.

"How's Gray?" Sting looked over at Natsu as the healer left, feeling like an asshole for not asking sooner. He knew Rogue wasn't the only one who had been injured, but it was hard to remember when Rogue took up so much of his heart.

"Not…great." Sting was surprised to hear a catch in Natsu's voice, and he reached out a hand. "He, ah, he lost a lot of blood and ended up having some kind of fit. We got here pretty quickly, someone from the Magic Council teleported us, but they didn't think he was gonna make it." Sting squeezed Natsu's hand. "It's been a long couple days. They did what they could, but the burn's gonna leave a big scar. He's sleeping now."

"I'm sorry," Sting whispered, and Natsu gave him a weak smile.

"Mister Eucliffe?" A young woman stood in the door, holding a clipboard and smiling at him. Sting nodded. "Looks like you're cleared to head home." Sting blinked. Home?

"What…about-"

"Another healer will be in soon to explain Mister Cheney's condition. You can stay with him until dusk, but we don't allow visitors overnight." Sting's head was swimming, but Natsu squeezed his hand.

"You're staying with me and Happy," he said, and Sting blinked at him. "My place isn't very big, but you can sleep on the couch for now." Sting's stomach tightened, then he sat up straight.

"Wait, where's Lect-"

"Him and Frosch are already at our place," Natsu reassured him. "Happy found them after the battle, they're both fine." Sting sighed in relief, running a hand over his face.

"Fuck," he muttered, not sure what exactly he was cursing at, but feeling it was necessary. Natsu hummed in agreement.

Natsu's house was small and cluttered, but Sting didn't care. The second Natsu opened the door, a red ball of fur flung itself at Sting and clutched at his shirt, bursting into tears.

"Lector," Sting said softly, pressing his face into the top of the Exceed's head and stroking his soft fur. "I'm so glad you're alright." Lector shook his head and continued crying into Sting's chest.

"Fro misses Rogue." The little pink and green Exceed stood in the doorway looking distraught and Sting felt his heart breaking.

"I know, buddy," he said, scooping Frosch into his arms. "How about we go visit him tomorrow?" Frosch's eyes brightened. "He's still asleep though, so he can't talk to you." Frosch looked despondent again. "The healer said he might be able to hear us though, so we can read him stories, okay?"

"Fro misses Rogue," they repeated sadly, then jumped down from Sting's arms and retreated into the living area. Lector let go of Sting's shirt and wiped his nose on his arm.

"Is he gonna wake up?" Lector asked, whispering so that Frosch didn't hear. Sting sighed.

"They don't know." His chest ached. They had spend the afternoon talking to healers, each with their own opinions on Rogue's prognosis. _Rogue probably won't wake up. Rogue might wake up. Rogue could wake up, but he won't be the same. Healing the body is different than healing the mind._ It made his head spin. "But I believe he will." He mustered the energy to smile at Lector.

"Hungry?" Natsu leaned out from the kitchen and looked at Sting quizzically. Erza and Lucy had brought them lunch at the hospital earlier, but neither of them had been in the mood to eat much.

"I think I'm just gonna sleep," he replied, and Natsu nodded.

"There's blankets on the chair, do you need anything else?" Sting shook his head. Natsu gave him a half-smile, then disappeared into the bedroom with Happy. Sting collapsed on the couch and immediately the two Exceeds clambered up next to him, snuggling into his chest. He smiled softly and closed his eyes, but felt a nervous energy running through his limbs that kept him from sleeping.

Sting tossed and turned for several hours, eventually forcing Lector and Frosch to move onto the chair instead. He sat up, growling in frustration, then tilted his head when he heard a faint whimpering.

"Natsu?" He called softly, standing and moving toward the boy's bedroom. The noise stopped, but Sting could hear a rapid heartbeat behind the door. "Are you okay?" There was no response for a moment, and then the door slowly swung open. Natsu looked out at him with reddened eyes and shook his head.

"I can't – I cant get it out of my head," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Seeing him…the blood and the…fit…I thought he was gone..." Natsu choked on a sob and looked stricken. Sting reached out and pulled Natsu toward him, and the boy melted into him, tears flowing down his face and soaking Sting's shirt. "I don't…I cant…I j-just"

"Shhh," Sting whispered, slowly maneuvering them until they were sitting on the edge of Natsu's bed. He ran his hand through the fire dragon slayer's hair, trying to remember how Natsu had comforted him when he was grieving. He wasn't used to being…kind.

Eventually Natsu's breathing grew even, and Sting realized with a start that the pink-haired boy had fallen asleep leaning against him. He let out a puff of laughter, then maneuvered Natsu until he was lying with his head on the pillow. As Sting stood up to leave, a hand darted out and grabbed his wrist.

"Stay?" Natsu's voice was thick with sleep, but he opened one eye blearily and looked at Sting. "Please?" Sting hesitated for a moment – he'd never shared a bed with anyone but Rogue – but he was so tired, and his heart was so full of grief. He nodded, slipping into the bed next to Natsu and letting out a sigh. Natsu shuffled over until he was lying with his back to Sting's stomach, and dragged Sting's arm over him.

"Bossy even when you're sleeping, huh?" Sting whispered, feeling sleep pulling at his eyelids. "'M gonna tease you 'bout bein' little spoon t-mrrw…" his words slurred together and he felt Natsu huff.

"G' t'sleep," Natsu muttered, and Sting did.


	2. Chapter 2

Natsu rubbed his eyes and flopped down into the chair next to Gray's bed, leaning forward and burying his face in his arms. He hadn't slept well. Both him and Sting had been plagued with nightmares, and it had felt like an endless cycle of restless sleep and being woken by tears.

He started when he felt a hand in his hair, and lifted his face to meet Gray's eyes.

"Hey, flame-brain," Gray murmured softly, and Natsu leaned his head into the touch. "Bad sleep?" Natsu nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He turned and nuzzled his face into Gray's palm, and the ice mage laughed. "You're affectionate today."

Natsu blushed, ducking his gaze downward, but Gray moved his hand to Natsu's chin and tipped the boy's head up, looking at him questioningly.

"I just - I worry. I am worried." Natsu sighed, reaching up to clasp Gray's hand. They hadn't really had a chance to talk about this... _thing_ between them yet. Gray had been floating in and out of consciousness for the past two weeks, and had finally seemed to have come out of it for good just the day before.

Gray threaded his fingers into Natsu's and waited patiently.

"I thought you were gonna die," Natsu said finally.

"Oh, Natsu," Gray whispered softly, attempting to sit up. Natsu stood and helped him, looking worriedly as Gray hissed at the pain in his side.

"It's okay," Gray mumbled, gritting his teeth. "It's getting better, I promise."

"You were skewered by a dragon," Natsu replied, giving him a stern look. "You almost died."

"I'm fine, I didn't-"

"You DID!" Gray looked up and was surprised to see that Natsu's cheeks were pink and his eyes were wet. "I saw it. I was – I was _holding_ you when you had that fit." Gray's heart sank. "That guy from the council brought us here and you just...you stopped, your chest – everything, there was – there was so much blood, it was on the floor and on me and every night I wake up thinking my hands are-"

"Shhh," Gray whispered, tugging Natsu closer to the bed. The pink-haired boy sat down hard on the mattress, reaching up and wiping tears from his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"They said you weren't gonna m-make it through the night," Natsu continued, voice trembling. "They told me to say g-goodbye." He pressed his knuckles to his eyes and Gray stroked his arm gently, trying to comfort him. "I sat right there-" he pointed to the chair "-all night. You stopped breathing twice. And then y...y-your h-heart stopped a-and I d-didn't know w-what t-t-to do..."

"C'mere," Gray whispered, shifting over far enough in the bed to draw Natsu into his arms. Natsu moved toward him gently, avoiding his bandaged chest, and leaned his forehead on Gray's shoulder. "I'm so sorry," Gray whispered, running his hand up and down Natsu's back and feeling tears soaking through his shirt. "I'm here now, I'm okay, I promise."

After several minutes, Natsu raised his head and rubbed vigorously at his eyes.

"I swear I've cried more in the last two weeks than I have in the last ten years," he muttered with a slight scowl. Gray snorted, leaving his hand on Natsu's back.

"How's Rogue?" Gray asked, changing the subject. "And Sting?" The last time he had seen Sting, the blonde man had looked terrible.

"It's...I dunno," Natsu admitted, sighing. "Rogue's still asleep. The healers still say to be patient, but Sting's getting desperate." He chewed on his lip for a second, then looked up at Gray. "Part of me wonders if that spell was worth it." Gray nodded sadly – he had thought the same thing. "Maybe it would have been kinder to...let it..." Natsu trailed off, sighing.

"He's still staying with you?"

"Yeah, for now. I, ah...wanted to ask you about that." Gray looked up at Natsu quizzically. "I know they're gonna let you go home soon, and you...well, you live pretty far away. And I don't. And I...I wanna take care of you." Natsu's ears were turning as pink as his hair. "Happy doesn't mind. And we can figure out stuff with Sting. I mean, if you wanna. If you don't it's tot-"

"Shut up, you dummy," Gray whispered, reaching out to grab the back of Natsu's neck and pulling him in for a kiss. It was tentative, their first since the battle, but it still felt so right. Gray exhaled softly against Natsu's lips, and the other boy moaned quietly.

"Mnnnn," Natsu murmured as they pulled apart, foreheads touching. "Does that mean you wanna move in with me?" He grinned, pressing his nose to Gray's.

"Yes," Gray replied, ducking in for another quick kiss. "And I want...this." He gestured vaguely between the two of them. "I have for...a while." He blushed.

"Me too," Natsu whispered, then leaned forward and rested his head against Gray's shoulder. "I'm sorry it took you almost dying for me to say something." He felt Gray laughing underneath him.

"We're both such idiots." 

* * *

Rogue hadn't moved in two weeks, and Sting was starting to wonder if this was worse than seeing him dead. The healers all told him that they had no idea when or if Rogue would wake up; that his body and mind were healing and that he needed to give it time.

"All we can do is wait," Makarov had said solemnly when he had visited the hospital last week. Sting had gritted his teeth and envisioned throwing the tiny man off a building. Which wasn't fair, he knew. Makarov had insisted on keeping both boys in Magnolia, even though they hadn't officially decided to join the guild. The hospital here was supposedly the best in Fiore, and Sting couldn't refuse anything that might help Rogue.

Sting sighed, running his hands through his hair and shaking his head. He hadn't slept well – his dreams were full of fire and blood and smoke, and above all, a thick anger that permeated everything. It was suffocating, and when he had woken up it hadn't been to tears, but to rage. Natsu had tried to calm him down, but he had ended up heading out into the forest and knocking down a few trees to calm the outburst.

"How's it goin'?" Sting lifted his head and gazed blearily at Natsu, who stood in the doorway holding a takeout bag in his hand. "Hungry?" Sting nodded, rubbing his eyes and looking over to Rogue.

Rogue's right eye and cheek were heavily bruised, and the entire right side of his head was still bandaged. A healer had told Sting that something heavy must have fallen there, and that the impact would have likely killed him instantly. Sting had spent about an hour throwing up after hearing that news.

Sting turned back to Natsu and attempted a smile, reaching out and taking the bag from his friend's hands. _His friend._ When had they turned from rivals to friends? The night he had appeared at Natsu's door with a badly injured Rogue, and Natsu had helped without hesitation? The time that Natsu had shared his powers so that they could defeat the dragons? Two weeks ago, when Natsu had given some of his own life to save Rogue's? Or the nights over the past two weeks where both boys, grieving and scared and alone, had ended up passing out together, holding hands or curled up together in Natsu's bed for comfort.

"How's Gray?" A faint smile graced Natsu's features, which lifted Rogue's spirits a bit.

"Better," Natsu replied. "They took the bandages off the burns yesterday. It looks…" he trailed off, thinking about the red-and-white puckered scar that now ran from the left side of Gray's neck down to his hip.

"Terrible?" Sting hazarded, opening the takeout box and inhaling the scent of warm noodles and fragrant sauce. Natsu plopped down on the chair next to him, sighing and rubbing his own scar.

"Terrifying," he admitted. "And they haven't even uncovered the stomach wounds yet." Sting nodded in understanding. "He says he's okay – he's actually bragging about what a cool scar he has – but it's just…" Natsu waved his chopsticks in the air, making a frustrated noise. "As soon as he's healed I'm gonna kick his ass for scaring me like that."

"Same here," Sting grumbled, trying not to let his words catch in his throat. He reached out and gently rubbed the back of Rogue's hand, glancing up at his face and seeing his…eyes…open...

"Rogue!" Sting jumped up from his chair, nearly dropping his dinner before Natsu caught it. "Rogue, can you hear me? Natsu, get a healer!"

Natsu shouted something out the door, then returned to the bed, moving around to the far side and grasping Rogue's other hand. "Is he awake? Rogue?"

Rogue's eyes were open but completely unfocused, looking past Sting's ear and off into the distance. His mouth opened slowly, but no words came out, just shallow breathing.

"Move out of the way." Natsu yelped as Porlyusica appeared and shoved him to the side, placing one hand on Rogue's chest and another on his cheek.

"Is he really-" Sting began, but she interrupted him.

"That's what I'm trying to find out, so be quiet." She closed her eyes and ran the one hand up and down Rogue's chest, magic bubbling under her fingers. Sting could hear Rogue's heartbeat, and instead of the slow, rhythmic beat of the past few weeks, it was quick and irregular.

"He is awake," he breathed, ignoring a glare from Porlyusica. "Rogue, I'm here. I'm right here, love." He squeezed Rogue's hand tightly and placed a gentle hand in the dark hair, but detected no response. Porlyusica leaned over to look into Rogue's eyes, then ran her hand in front of his line of vision.

"I don't want to give you false hope," she began, and Sting clung to her words. "But it seems like he might be coming out of it." Something cracked in Sting's chest and he let out a sob. Natsu grabbed his hand and squeezed. "I know the other healers told you this already, but everyone is different. He may start responding to you, gradually, or he might slip back into the sleep."

"Is there anything-"

"Talk to him. Touch him gently, encourage him to follow simple directions. We will continue checking him every day." Sting nodded, putting gentle pressure on Rogue's hand again. In an unusual display of affection, Porlyusica reached out and touched Sting's shoulder gently, not taking his flinching personally. "You need to understand that if he does wake up, he might not be the same."

Sting's chest clenched. He had heard this speech before, a variation on it almost every day over the past two weeks. He wasn't sure what they meant by "not the same", but however Rogue might change, it couldn't be worse than him being dead. Right?

"I know," he whispered, reaching out and running the back of his hand over Rogue's cheek. The dark-haired boy's gaze moved incrementally, but not towards Sting. "But I'll be here, even if he isn't the same."

"Can he see us?" Natsu asked. Porlyusica shrugged.

"Perhaps. It's difficult to tell, but talking to him can't hurt. Although he likely can't hear you on that side." Natsu glanced down at the heavy bandaging on the right side of Rogue's head and nodded. "The other healer will come in later to change those and try some more magic." She nodded to the two boys and then left the room.

"Rogue, I'm here," Sting said softly, squeezing his hand again and getting no response. "I know you're in there, I know you're fighting." Natsu could see that Sting was getting worked up, so he moved to stand beside his friend and grinned down at Rogue.

"Hey Rogue, wanna hear about how you killed a dragon and saved the world?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sting was very, _very_ drunk. He glared sullenly into the empty glass in front of him, then let it fall to the bar with a _clunk_. He blinked, eyelids heavy with drink, sleep, and a fuckton of emotions that he was pretending not to have. Something heavy sat in his chest, a dark energy that flickered and zapped and needed to break out.

Rogue was awake. This was a good thing, but the Rogue that was awake was not the Rogue that Sting knew. He had been so certain that things would be the same, but when Rogue looked at him with that blank stare, or went into a fit and tried to bite him, Sting's heart broke a tiny bit each time. Hence the drinking.

"Do you need someone to help you home?" Fairy Tail's bartender, a pretty young girl named Mira, looked at Sting with a concerned expression on her face. Sting growled.

"W—whooo even s-says I'm goin' home," he slurred, trying to bring his vision into focus. No matter how many times he blinked his eyes, everything was still blurry. Was that the booze, or tears? He'd had way too much of both, today. "Don' even have a home," he added, quietly enough that only he could hear.

"You look like you could use some sleep," Mirajane insisted sweetly. "Should I see if someone can help you back to Natsu's place?"

"NO!" The exclamation spilled out louder than he intended it to, but Sting didn't care. Gray had come home from the hospital today, and the last thing he wanted to do was get in their way. "I'm f-fine." He waved a lazy hand in he air, feeling those…emotions bubbling in his chest.

"How is Rogue?" A familiar voice floated in Sting's left ear, and he looked up to see Freed standing next to him, giving Mirajane a significant look. Laxus lurked in the background.

"He's 'sleep, 'course," Rogue drawled. "Sometimes he wakes up, but he doesn' know who I am." He felt tears burning behind his eyes for a second, and then the look between Mirajane and Freed registered in his brain. "Y-y-you don't hafta lookit me like that," he snarled.

"I'm not looking at you in any particular way, Sting," Freed sighed, leaning against the counter. "You've just had quite a lot to drink and it might be a good idea to sleep it off."

"Fuck you," Sting snarled, and Laxus tensed. "If I wanna drink, I'm gonna drink." He attempted to stand and then staggered slightly, grabbing the back of his chair for balance. "Wh-what do you care annnnyway?"

"We're your friends, St-"

"I DON'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS!" The words came out in a shout that echoed through the guild hall, and Sting shoved his chair forward clumsily. Freed caught it easily, but Laxus stepped forward, growling.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you—" He stopped and looked at Sting guiltily. The boy's eyes were wild and furious.

"You what?" His voice was low and dangerous. "You useless idiot? You complete waste of space?" Laxus swallowed heavily and his fists loosened.

"I didn't mean—"

"Well maybe you SHOULD!" Sting staggered forward, surprisingly quick for someone so inebriated, and smashed his fist into Laxus' cheek. Laxus snarled and responded instinctively, shoving Sting backward.

"Sting, what are you—"

"JUST HIT ME!" Sting shouted, voice raw, and flung himself toward Laxus again. The big man dodged the blow, then grabbed Sting's wrists in his enormous hands.

"Sting, stop." A small crackle of electricity ran down his arms and into the other boy's fingers, and he shuddered.

"I deserve it," Sting whimpered, struggling feebly against the iron grasp. "I deserve it. I'm weak, an' stupid, an' I fucked up, an' Rogue's never gonna be the same…" Tears were streaming down his face now, and Laxus sighed, releasing one of Sting's wrists and reaching up to his face.

Sting shouted and flinched so hard that he wrenched his wrist from Laxus' grasp and fell backwards on the floor, his arm flung up in front of his face to defend himself.

"I'm sorry," Sting whispered, and Freed could see the frustration in Laxus' eyes.

"Go, Laxus," the green-haired man whispered, placing a hand on Laxus' arm and pushing him gently away. "I can handle this."

"I'm sorry," Laxus mumbled, looking sadly down at Sting. Freed squeezed his hand softly and Laxus backed away.

Freed knelt down on the floor next to Sting, who had pulled his knees to his chest and was crying softly, trying to bury his head in his arms.

"Why w-would anyone wan'… this mess?" He slurred through his tears.

"Can I touch your arm?" Freed's voice was so soft that only Sting could hear it, and the young boy shook his head firmly.

"Don' touch me," he whispered savagely, wiping his tears with his shirtsleeve. Freed nodded, then slumped down until he was sitting on the floor close to Sting. "Ev'ryth'g I touch gets broken. I jus' fuck ev'ryth'g up." Freed didn't say anything, just made a quiet humming noise to let Sting know he was listening. "The-the only thing I got lef' is Rogue. 'N he doesn' reco—rego—know who I am."

"Seeing your loved one like that must be very frightening," Freed agreed. "I wish that we could provide some solace. Why do you think that we aren't your friends?"

"Y-you can't be," Sting whispered. "I-if I have f-friends they get hurt." Freed's eyes widened in realization.

"You mean you weren't allowed to have friends?" He clarified. "At Sabertooth?" Sting made a strangled sound and reached up to grasp at his hair, pulling it.

"N-no attachments," he mumbled. "If he found out he would take them away or hurt them." His voice took on a strange, almost child-like tone. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make him angry."

"Who, Laxus?" Freed looked up to where Laxus sat at the table, looking despondent. "He's not angry. He's remorseful." Sting shivered. "Honestly, if you promise not to tell anyone else, that man is nothing but a big teddy bear." He thought he heard Sting laugh.

"Shoes," whispered Sting suddenly. "Tables, chairs, cups, jacket…" his eyes raised to Freed's face but didn't really make contact. He sniffed the air. "Booze. Boar meat. Mmnnnn, some kind of perfume." His breathing slowed slightly and he finally stopped shaking, meeting Freed's gaze for real this time.

"I see Laxus has already taught you something useful," Freed said, smiling. "I feel the need to remind you that he still uses those techniques." He stood, slowly, and reached out a hand to Sting. Sting didn't take it, but Freed smiled at him anyway. "Now, I'm taking you home, Master Eucliffe. And you'd better hope that Wendy is here tomorrow to help you with that hangover."

* * *

"Are they asleep?"

"I think so. I can hear Happy talking about fish, he must be dreaming." Natsu grinned at Gray, who was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I feel like I must be dreaming too. C'mere, you." Gray's hands rested on Natsu's hips, pulling the pink-haired boy toward him until he was standing in between Gray's legs.

"Oof." Natsu leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of Gray's head. "That is the cheesiest thing you have ever said." Gray snorted.

"Apparently you bring out the homeless romantic in me."

"There's a sex joke in there somewhere, it'll just take me a while to figure it ounnngggghhh." Natsu trailed off as Gray's hands began to explore his back, touches feather-light. Each brush of his fingertips sent jolts down Natsu's spine, which was intensified by the feel of Gray's lips on his chest. "Mmmmn."

"I, ah, haven't…" Gray looked up at him, and Natsu was surprised to see a faint blush dusting his cheeks. "I haven't done this…before." Natsu was surprised.

"With a guy, you mean?" He let his hand run through the thick, dark hair and Gray leaned into his touch.

"With…anyone." His blush darkened. "I mean, I kinda fooled around with this girl once, but it was…I dunno. Different." He met Natsu's eyes. "This time I really want it."

"Oh, Gray," Natsu murmured. A heat was pooling in his chest, equal parts adoration and arousal. "I want this too. So badly." He dipped his head down and met Gray in a fierce kiss, enjoying the sounds that Gray made when he used his sharp teeth on those soft lips.

"Mnnnn," Gray moaned softly as Natsu moved his mouth to the dark-haired boy's neck, trailing soft kisses down his shoulder and collarbone. Natsu's breath was hot and his teeth were sharp and his tongue was…heavenly.

"Shhh," Natsu chastised, grinning as he dragged his teeth along Gray's collarbone. "You don't want to wake up the Exceeds." Gray shot him a glare, and Natsu sank his teeth into the soft skin in retaliation.

"N-natsu!" Gray's voice was shaky, and he let out a soft sigh as Natsu returned to placing soft kisses along his chest. "Aah, warn a guy before you do that."

"Sorry, popsicle," Natsu murmured, lips returning to Gray's. He ran one hand down the ice mage's back, moving carefully over the bandages on his side, and let it rest on Gray's ass. "Tell me if I'm hurting you, okay?"

"I'm not made of glass, mor—aah!" Natsu lifted Gray gently, maneuvering him until Natsu was the one on the bed, and Gray was in his lap. He shimmied until his back was against the headboard, and Gray was straddling his hips.

"Better?" He grinned up at Gray, who looked slightly dazed. Natsu took the opportunity to run his hands along Gray's thighs, then up his chest and into his hair. "Fuck, you're amazing." Gray's face was a shade of red that Natsu hadn't seen before, and he liked it.

"I…you…mmmm," Gray sighed as strong fingers carded through his hair, then gazed down at Natsu. His face was flushed and his eyes were bright, and the look of absolute adoration on his face tore Gray to pieces. He leaned down to kiss Natsu again, shifting his hips forward in the process.

"Aah!" Both boys cried out simultaneously as they pressed against each other. They both only wore light pants, and there was very little between them.

"N-natsu," Gray breathed, shifting back slightly and then moving against the other boy. Natsu threw his head back, teeth bared, and moaned.

"Ahhh, f-fuck, Gray," his words were stuttered, emphasized by the twitch of his hips that had Gray breathing heavily and returning the favour. "Ngghhhh…that feels am-amazing."

"You are fucking gorgeous," Gray murmured, leaning back slightly to take in this scene. All their years of fighting, bickering, rivalry, friendship…he had never expected this. Never thought he would end up here, on Natsu's bed, with the dragon slayer laying underneath him, eyes closed and cheeks flushed, biting his lip and begging for more as he rocked into Gray.

"Mmmnnn, Gray, yesss…" Natsu's hands found purchase on Gray's hips and he tugged, moving Gray even tighter against him. Gray gasped at the sensation. "S-shit, Gray…aaah, f-feels so goddamn g-good."

"Y-you don't ever…nggh…s-shut up…aah…do you?" Gray teased, panting as he rocked into Natsu, one hand on the headboard and the other fisting into Natsu's hair roughly. Natsu whimpered.

"Nnnno, aah, but you…mmmm…l-like it, don't you?" Gray tugged on Natsu's hair again, eliciting the most erotic sound Gray had ever heard. "F-fuck, why does that…aahhh…f-feel so g-nghhhh.." Natsu growled then, slamming his head back into the headrest and looking up at Gray with wide, lust-filled eyes.

"Gods, Natsu, d-don't look at me…aaah...like that," Gray moaned, thrusting his hips with more force. "I'm gonna-"

"Me too," Natsu growled, then dragged Gray's head towards his and captured his lips in a kiss. The two boys tensed together almost simultaneously, moans muffled by each other's lips, and then Gray's body shuddered and collapsed into Natsu's.

They lay there for a few minutes, both breathing heavily, Natsu placing gentle kisses into Gray's hair.

"That…" Gray started to speak, then gave up, pushing his forehead into Natsu's chest.

"Mmmm," Natsu hummed in agreement. Then he nudged Gray and moved to stand. "Lemme just grab us some clean clothes." Gray nodded, blushing, then rolled onto his side and winced.

"We, ah…may have overdone it a bit," he admitted sheepishly, and Natsu turned to see Gray gesturing at the bright red blood spotting though the bandage around his waist.

"Shit," Natsu swore, tossing a pair of pants at Gray and changing his own quickly. "Let me take a look." He helped Gray to sit up and change his clothes, kissing his nose when he blushed, then peeled back the bandage to take a peek at the damage they'd done.

The sight of the wound still made him sick, but he was happy to see that it was healing. The stitches were intact, and it looked like the bleeding wasn't serious. He readjusted the bandages, then looked up at Gray and cuffed him upside the head.

"Ow!" Gray shouted, glaring at Natsu. "What the hell was that for?"

"You were _supposed_ to tell me if I hurt you, idiot." Gray was about to snap at him, but noticed the vulnerable expression on Natsu's face and sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, reaching out and grabbing Natsu's hand. "I…honestly, I didn't even notice. I may have been a bit…distracted."

"I'm only gonna forgive you this once," Natsu replied, a teasing tone in his voice. He pressed a kiss to Gray's knuckles.

A timid knock on the door drew Natsu's brows into a frown of confusion.

"I thought Sting was staying at Erza's place tonight," Gray said, and Natsu nodded, standing up and opening the bedroom door. The living room was dark – all three Exceeds were curled up on the couch together – but there was a figure at the front door. Two figures?

He swung open the front door to reveal an impassive looking Freed, half-carrying, half-supporting a very, VERY drunk Sting.

"I believe this is yours," Freed said dryly, and Natsu sighed.

"What were you thinking, idiot?" He reached out to grab Sting's other arm and the boy flinched, nearly hitting Natsu in the process.

"Don' tousshhh me," he slurred angrily, blinking in confusion.

"Fuck. What happened?" He let Freed help Sting inside, then Natsu gestured for him to bring the inebriated dragon slayer into his room. Freed dumped Sting into Natsu's bed, rather unceremoniously, then sighed.

"He picked a fight with Laxus."

"He…what?" Gray hadn't moved from the side of the bed, and he looked up at Freed incredulously.

"Laxus didn't fight him, obviously." Natsu sighed, rubbing his eyes. "He's not doing well, is he?"

"Not really," Natsu admitted. "He told us he was going to stay at Erza's tonight to give us some privacy. I didn't realize…"

"Erza isn't here right now," Freed replied. "She's off on a mission, left this morning." Natsu sighed and covered his face with his hands. Freed's expression softened, and he placed a comforting hand on Natsu's arm. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't easy for you either. I wasn't certain if I should bring him here, but—"

"No, its fine," Gray interrupted, placing a gentle hand on Sting's ankle. The only response he received was a mild growl. "We'll take care of him."

"Please let me know if you need anything," Freed said, squeezing Natsu's arm and turning to leave.

"Thank you," Natsu said quietly, and the green-haired man nodded.

As the door closed behind Freed, both Gray and Natsu turned to look at Sting. He had rolled away from them both, covering his face, and they could both hear the quiet sobs that shook his body.

"Sting," Natsu said softly, moving to the other side of the bed. "I'm going to touch your arm, okay?" There was no response from the sobbing boy. "If you don't say yes, I promise I won't touch you."

The struggle going through Sting's mind was almost visible, but he finally nodded his head shakily. Natsu reached out gently, taking one of Sting's arms in his hand, and sat down on the bed next to him.

"How can we help?" He asked softly. Sting's chest shuddered and he tried to bury his face in the bed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered finally, voice breaking.

"Sorry for what?" Natsu replied, confused. He rubbed his thumb over Sting's hand.

"I didn't wanna fuck things up," Sting mumbled. "I can' shut off my brain. 'S not fair, 's not your fault." Natsu sighed. This wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Why don't we all go to sleep, and see how we feel in the morning?" Sting nodded a little. "Are you okay to stay here with me and Gray?"

"I c'n sleep on the couch," he mumbled, trying to push himself up on his forearms and failing miserably.

"Don't be stupid," Gray said softly. "We're here for you. Can I lie down behind you?" Sting nodded almost imperceptibly, and Gray maneuvered himself until he was lying with his stomach to Sting's back. "Can I touch you, or would you rather I kept my distance?"

"'S fine," Sting slurred, struggling to keep his eyelids open. Gray placed a gentle hand in the centre of Sting's back, and after the initial flinch, he allowed the touch. Gray slowly started moving his hand in circles, and Natsu smiled as he heard Sting's breathing start to even.

Natsu wriggled himself down onto the bed so that he was facing Sting, still holding his hand. He tucked one of his feet under Sting's and managed to snag it around Gray's ankle.

"Why…y' s'nice t'me?" Sting mumbled, unconsciously moving himself backward until Gray's chest pressed into his back. Gray smiled, looping an arm over Sting's stomach and entwining his fingers with Natsu's.

"Because we're all a mess," Gray whispered, gazing into Natsu's eyes. "We're all a fucking tragedy, but we'll get through this." Sting huffed softly.

"Now who's the little spoon?" Natsu teased good-naturedly, but Sting was already asleep.

* * *

 _A/N: Poor Sting. Surviving abuse can make you do all sorts of questionable things that make sense in your own head but to nobody else._

 _Also, the "we're a fucking tragedy" line is borrowed from "Carry On" by Rainbow Rowell (basically the best novel ever)._


	4. Chapter 4

_It was lost. Where was its host? The warmth that usually enveloped the shadow was missing, it had been…expelled, somehow. Cast out. Not only by the holy light, but by fire and lightning, by air and iron and poison. Those magics had seared it, pushed it back so it couldn't whisper in **his** ear. They had been so close. Up in the air, on the dragon, it had seen what they could become. Such power! And yet, **he** hadn't embraced it. And then there had been a fall, and pain, and then **he** was gone._

 _It lurked, hiding in places where the sun couldn't find, waiting for him to return. But it was getting impatient. Weeks had passed, and it began to worry. It heard whispers, it listened to stories, and it remembered one name – **Fairy Tail**._

* * *

"I'm such a fucking idiot." Rogue felt something heavy thump down on the bed next to his good side, and a deep sense of contentment filled him. Sting was here. And he smelled…terrible? Rogue tried to turn to his friend, but his body was being stubborn today. Sometimes it would do what he wanted, other days it refused to move at all.

"I'm so sorry, Rogue." Sting leaned forward and rested his head on Rogue's chest, sighing. Rogue struggled internally, swearing at his arm and _willing_ it to move. Sting felt a slight jerk of Rogue's hand and looked up, surprised. Rogue's eyes were open and fixed on his, but the rest of him was still.

 _I'm here_ , Rogue thought desperately. _I'm here and I love you and you're not an idiot. Please see me._

The healer had warned Sting against getting too close to Rogue after the biting incident, but Sting stubbornly ignored her. He lifted his hand until it was next to Rogue's face, then ran his thumb over the dark-haired boy's cheek. Rogue exhaled softly, trying desperately to lean into the touch.

"You're here," Sting breathed. "You're with me today, aren't you?" He grasped Rogue's hand in his own and brought it to his lips, kissing the fingertips. "Can you understand me?" Rogue screamed at his muscles to _squeeze Sting's goddamn hand already_ , and to his surprise, they listened. Sting let out an excited yelp, burying his face in Rogue's palm. Then he looked up, frowning. "You'd better not bite me again, asshole," he grumbled. "That fuckin' hurt." Rogue laughed inside, but he couldn't force his body to make it show.

"Rogue, I'm scared." That wasn't what Rogue had been expecting. Sting never admitted to being afraid. "I – I think I fucked things up with Gray and Natsu. I got stupid drunk last night, like, worse than when we were sixteen, and I fuckin' challenged _Laxus_ to a fight." Rogue wanted to laugh, which he knew was inappropriate. "Freed had to carry me back to Natsu's place." Sting's voice was thick with tears and he was hiding his face behind Rogue's hand. "I wanted to give them some space, but I'm just this absolute fucking wreck." Rogue realized now that the terrible smell coming from Sting was a mixture of alcohol, blood, and vomit. "I just – I break everything I touch."

"N...no." Rogue felt a surge of anger flare up in his chest, and he squeezed Sting's hand, _hard_. Sting looked up at him, incredulous.

"Did – did you just…" he trailed off, staring at Rogue.

Rogue struggled, cursing at his vocal chords. He _had_ said something to Sting. And he _could_ do it again.

"N…n…no…ot." The single word was exhausting, but the look of elation on Sting's face made it all worth it. He kept going, tongue thick and uncomfortable in his mouth. "B…b…br…" He gasped, out loud, and Sting grasped his shoulders, pulling Rogue toward him in a hug.

"It's okay, love," he whispered, and Rogue could feel tears against the side of his neck. "It's okay, don't hurt yourself." He ran a gentle hand through Rogue's hair and then pulled back, running his thumb over Rogue's chin. "Fuck, I wanna kiss you so bad, but it doesn't feel—"

Rogue squeezed Sting's hand so hard he almost felt his fingers crack. Sting looked at him, uncertain.

"Are you su—" Another squeeze. "Ow, fuck that hurts, you sadistic bastard." An actual huff of what might have been laughter came from Rogue's chest, and Sting thought he might burst. Instead, he pressed his lips _oh so gently_ against Rogue's.

* * *

 _It took a new host that morning – a young mage that seemed to have potential. The rush of freedom, of her power licking and stoking it, was indescribable. It convinced her to walk to the train station, to purchase a ticket, to sit in the seat and wait for the vehicle to start moving toward Magnolia._

 _It felt uncertain. Her power was strong, but it could feel the magic blistering and burning as it touched the shadows. She might not make it to their destination. It cursed, then looked around the train and realized there were plenty of new hosts it could take when she burned to an unrecognizable husk._

 _ **I'm coming, Rogue** , it thought. **You can't get rid of me that easily.**_

* * *

Sting was fast asleep that afternoon, head resting on Rogue's thigh, when a knock at the door startled him awake. He blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were sleeping." Gray stood in the doorway, dark shadows under his eyes, and Sting felt a pang of guilt for keeping him up the night before.

"It's fine, c'mon in." He yawned, running a hand over his face.

"How is he today?" Gray touched Rogue's shoulder gently as he passed the dark-haired boy, then slumped down next to Sting, hissing in pain.

"He – he managed to talk to me this morning," Sting said, smiling at Rogue's sleeping figure. He was propped up with several pillows and his head had lolled to the side as he snored softly.

"What, seriously?" Gray smiled widely at Sting. "That's amazing!"

"The healers say he's really doing better," Sting replied, squeezing Rogue's hand and smiling softly. "He recognizes people now, and he can stay awake for a lot longer. They're gonna see if he can walk around later this week."

"And how are _you_ doing?" Gray's hand found Sting's and squeezed it. It was strange, Sting thought, how they had come to an unspoken agreement about the touching. Hands and knees were fine, back and shoulders required consent, and face was a hard no. Hair was occasionally acceptable.

"I believe the phrase you used was 'a fucking tragedy'," Sting replied dryly, and Gray laughed. "It's a pretty accurate description of my life right now." Gray said nothing, just held Sting's hand tighter as they sat in silence.

"I'm sorry," Sting said finally. "I have a feeling I'm gonna be saying this a lot today, but I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…intrude…on…y'know…"

"Oh don't worry, we got to _that_ before Freed dropped you off," Gray replied without thinking. Then he clapped his hand over his mouth. "Oh wow, uh, yeah, that's…um…" His cheeks flushed pink and it was Sting's turn to laugh.

"Okay, well I'm glad I didn't interrupt…that." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "But, I mean, I feel like I'm intruding…in general."

"We're always happy to have you around," Gray replied, bumping his shoulder against Sting's.

"But _why_?" Sting demanded. "I'm just…I fuck everything up."

"N…no…" Rogue murmured softly. Both boys looked up to see that Rogue's eyes were open and he was staring at Sting intently.

"Hey, love," Sting said softly, reaching out to touch Rogue's cheek. Rogue's lips twitched in an approximation of a smile. "You with us?"

"N…not…" he hesitated, licking his lips and frowning slightly. "H-han…d…" He shook his head, frustration evident on his face. "Sp…spr…" He growled, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Hey, it's okay," Sting leaned in and pressed a kiss to Rogue's forehead. "Just take it easy." Rogue sighed, slumping back against the pillows and gazing at the ceiling.

"Does that mean he understands what we're saying?" Gray asked. Sting shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Sometimes he does, like this morning – he was completely lucid." He rapped his knuckles gently on Rogue's forehead and was rewarded with an annoyed huff. "Sometimes he's here, sometimes he's in his own little world." Sting ran a thumb near the deep scar that ran from Rogue's right temple down through where his ear had been.

"It'll take time," Gray said softly, and Sting rolled his eyes. "I know everyone is telling you that, but that's what they're telling me, too." Sting's face softened and he looked at Gray, ashamed. It was so easy to forget that Rogue wasn't the only one who had been injured.

"Does it still hurt?" Sting asked, looking down at the bandages still wrapped around Gray's stomach.

"The burn isn't too bad," Gray replied, running a finger down the edge of the red and white scar. "This, though…" he gestured to his stomach. "Honestly, it hurts like hell. All the time." Sting placed a hand on Gray's knee sympathetically. "I don't wanna complain about it to Natsu, cause he'll just worry, and there's nothing he can do."

"He loves you," Sting replied, and Gray gave him a half smile.

"Yeah, well, he's still an idiot," Gray grumbled. "I feel useless. I need to kick that ridiculous flame-brain's ass a few times, then I'll feel better." Rogue huffed gently. "You think that's funny, huh?" Gray prodded the bandaged area of his stomach and grimaced. "Gimme a few weeks, but you have to be awake enough to cheer for me, got it?" Rogue blinked at him a few times, which Gray took as assent.

A comfortable silence filled the room for several minutes.

"So." Gray cleared his throat. "When Rogue is – well, when he can leave here – what's your plan?"

Sting sighed. The question of the future had been nagging at him recently, but he'd been trying valiantly to ignore it. He had much bigger things to worry about, he reasoned.

"I – we – would like to stay?" He had meant it as a statement, but it came out as a question. "We, um, well, we don't have anything." Sting's face flushed red. "Jiemma kept all our jewel, and when we came to you at the games, I didn't bring...anything. Clothes, or things like that. I've been borrowing from Natsu, and Gajeel even lent me some stuff. So I don't really know what to do." His chest tightened, hoping that Gray wasn't looking at him with pity.

"Don't take this as charity," Gray said sternly, and Sting looked up at him. "Natsu and I talked, and...well, we're gonna move in together. For good." His cheeks flushed and he dropped Sting's gaze. "I...need help with things, still, and it's...far, to my old place." Sting nodded, wondering why Gray looked so uncomfortable. "Natsu's place isn't very big, but we found a new place, right near the guild hall. It's...well, it's a bit big for us. So, we thought, maybe, if...if, y'know, you wanted to... _livewithus_?" The last bit blurred into one word and it took Sting a moment to decipher what Gray had said.

Sting stared. Live...with Natsu and Gray? Stay here, in Magnolia, for good? He had been seriously contemplating taking Master Makarov up on his offer to join the guild, but had assumed they would stay in the dorms until they could work and earn jewel.

"You don't have to decide right now, you can think ab-"

"Yes." Gray blinked. "I mean I obviously can't speak for Rogue, but I'm gonna assume he'd be okay with it." He squeezed Rogue's leg but got no answer from the other boy, who appeared to have fallen asleep. "And, I mean...if he's gonna have trouble...I might need some, ah, help? Taking care of him?"

"Of course," Gray replied, without hesitation. Sting smiled, and wondered again when it was that he had come to trust these people. Then he sighed.

"One probl-"

"Don't worry about the money," Gray interrupted, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. "We've got it covered for now, Gramps wants to help us out. You worry about taking care of Rogue – _and yourself_ \- and eventually we can all take jobs together and make money that way."

Sting felt a warm contentment flush through his chest, thinking about the four of them taking jobs together, fighting together, living together. When had this become something that he wanted?

"I, ah, also wanted to say thanks." Sting looked puzzled. "For taking care of Natsu, I mean. While I was out of it." He reached out slowly toward Sting's shoulder and waited for the nod before grasping it. "He's kind of an idiot when it comes to words, but he's good at … this."

Sting blushed, then leaned into Gray's touch. Gods, it felt good. This gentleness, this soft caress that didn't hurt or scare him. He knew Gray wouldn't hurt him, wouldn't beat him, wouldn't call him names or throw him to the ground, or make him feel worthless. Gray cared about him, and so did Natsu.

Gray tugged his shoulder until Sting was leaning against him, heads touching and his arm wrapped around the blonde boy's shoulders. When Lucy came by to visit several hours later, she could only smile at what she saw – dark hair and light resting together as the two boys snored softly, each holding Rogue's hand.

* * *

 _Taking the new host had been more difficult than it had predicted. Mages didn't like being possessed, and fought desperately against the intrusion. The female, augmented with the shadow's strength, had finally been able to defeat the passengers before burning out into nothing. The new host, a tall man, was much more durable, but would also likely not last long._

 _It turned the man toward the north and glanced back at the bloody massacre in the train. Then it began to walk forward, toward Fairy Tail, toward **him**._


	5. Chapter 5

_The shadow was becoming frustrated. The body it had borrowed from the train had worn out much too quickly, and was now collapsed in the middle of the road, unmoving. There were no shadows to escape to here – only hot, unrelenting sunlight that made it hiss and burrow deeper into its host. It didn't know how far they were from Magnolia, but it knew it needed a more...powerful host. For now, all it could do was lie in wait – either for someone to pass by, or for the shadows of the evening._

* * *

"Laxus Dreyar, you know that I am perfectly capable of leading this job." Freed stood, hands on his hips, glaring at the lightning dragon slayer.

"But you're hur—"

"It's been a month. I'm _fine_." Freed's voice softened and he reached out, placing a hand under Laxus' chin. "Look at me, Laxus." The blond man scowled, but raised his eyes to meet Freed's.

"We haven't gone on a mission since…" his voice trailed off and Free could see frustration written all over the bigger man's face.

"I know," Freed said, stepping closer to Laxus and letting him pull Freed tightly against him. "All the more reason to go now. My leg is fine, they said it healed perfectly, remember?"

Laxus grumbled. Every time he saw the deep, red scar running up Freed's thigh, he remembered scooping the smaller man into his arms, running through a hellish landscape of fire and rubble, feeling the blood soak through his tunic. When he had handed Freed off to Bickslow so that he could join the dragon slayers in resurrecting Rogue, he had felt a deep sense of terror that he never, _ever_ wanted to feel again.

"They need our help," Freed continued. "If the Magic Council is asking, it must be serious. The letter said it was a massacre. Sixteen train passengers killed, one burned 'from the inside', apparently. Only one witness." Laxus rested his forehead against Freed's, sighing.

"You've made up your mind already, haven't you?" Freed laughed, reaching up and pressing a quick kiss to Laxus' lips.

"I have." He shimmied out of Laxus' grip and waved the posting in the air. "I know you worry, but I make my own decisions. I'm not helpless." Laxus sighed.

"You're right."

"Of course I am." Freed smiled, brushing his hair from his face. "Now go pack. We have a train to catch."

Laxus groaned.

"Can't we walk?"

* * *

"You." Rogue's voice came out soft, like he had rolled the sound around his mouth before saying it. He focused his gaze on Sting, frowning in concentration. "Boxes." Sting frowned. "No." Rogue shook his head, then looked back at Sting and gestured a loose approximation of the sign for injured.

"Am I hurt?" Sting guessed. This wasn't the first time Rogue had asked this question. Rogue watched Sting's lips carefully, then broke into a smile, nodding. Sting smiled too, rubbing his thumb over the back of Rogue's hand. "No, you dummy, I'm not hurt." Rogue frowned, and Sting signed instead, _not hurt_. Rogue seemed satisfied, then glanced around the room again, looking slightly dazed. Sting tapped Rogue's knee until the dark-haired boy was looking at him.

 _Remember where we're going?_ A blank stare. _Going where_? That was met with a half smile and a nod.

"N-n-natsu," Rogue managed. "Gray. House." Sting smiled.

 _Our house too._ Rogue's smile widened, and he let Sting help him to his feet. Sting pulled him into a tight embrace, and let out a deep breath, kissing the top of Rogue's head.

"You two lovebirds ready?" Sting snorted, then leaned back to see Natsu and Gray in the doorway. Rogue peered shyly at them, but he was smiling and it was clear he recognized them. Natsu reached out a hand to Rogue and he took it, grinning at the pink-haired boy. "Home?"

"H-home," Rogue confirmed, and the four of them headed out of the hospital.

* * *

Rogue loved the garden at the new house. After they had shown him around, he had gazed eagerly at the flowers and beelined for the round couch outside. Sting leaned against the kitchen window and smiled, watching Rogue's expression of delight.

"How're you doing?" Natsu came up and put his arm around Sting's waist, and Sting sighed, resting his head on Natsu's.

"Mm. Tired." He rubbed his eyes, yawning. "The healers talked my ear off all morning, I thought I was going to fall asleep on them." Natsu nodded. "They said word mixup thing might get better. His brain is just confused, he thinks one word and says another. Sometimes he doesn't get what we say either, so they said to make sure to use simple sentences."

Gray and the Exceeds had joined Rogue outside in the garden. Frosch was curled up in Rogue's lap and he was absently stroking their ears, his other hand reaching out to Gray for comfort.

"They said the hearing isn't going to come back, though." Sting sighed. "I mean, he can hear me if I'm right next to his good side, or sometimes it seems like he's reading my lips."

"He has the signs, though," Natsu replied.

"Yeah, but I'll always be translating for him," Sting grumbled. "I don't mind, but I have a feeling that will get frustrating for him really quickly."

"I, ah, actually have a surprise for you," said Natsu, pulling away and leaning back against the counter. Sting frowned as Natsu's hands began to move.

 _We…found book. L-e-v-y found book. For signs._ His movements were erratic and inexperienced, and he was blushing like mad, but Sting's eyes welled up with tears. Natsu kept going. _We're all learning. You belong here. Rogue belongs here. We all care._

Sting couldn't hold back a sob, and he buried his face in his hands. Natsu laughed softly, gathering the crying boy into his arms.

"Why are you all so _nice_ to us?" Sting whispered as Natsu guided him over to the couch and pulled Sting to his chest.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Natsu murmured, rubbing his back. "You came to us when you had nowhere to go, and you fought with us against the dragons. You fought against someone you love – even if it was a future version of him." Sting shuddered under Natsu's touch and buried his face deeper into the boy's chest.

"It's so hard to forget," he whispered finally. Natsu's chest tightened a bit, but he didn't say anything. Sting was silent for a few moments, then reached up and rubbed his eyes. "His voice is always there in the back of my mind, telling me how useless I am, how nobody could possibly care for me." Natsu gripped his friend tighter. "I'm still so…messed up. And Rogue is too. Not just the physical stuff, but mentally. I know what Minerva did to him, I tried so hard to stop it, and we were both just so…helpless." He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palm.

"You're safe now," Natsu said quietly, feeling a deep ache in his chest. He had no idea how Sting and Rogue felt. Losing Igneel had been difficult, certainly, but he had never been…beaten. Derided. Assaulted. Abused. "I don't really know how to help you," he admitted, "but I'll do what I can. Just tell me what you need, okay?" Sting nodded.

"I just feel so broken," he mumbled, face still buried in the pink-haired boy's chest.

"We all are," Natsu replied, "in different ways." He glanced out the window, smiling at the sight of Gray cuddling Frosch, and the look of delight on Rogue's face. "Gray's parents were killed by a demon. He was the only one in his whole village to survive; he watched them die. And then his adopted mother died facing that same demon."

"I...I didn't know."

"He was pretty messed up about it for a long time," Natsu admitted. "He still is, sometimes. He tried to – well, he says that's not what happened, but I know it was – he tried to kill himself." Sting leaned back and stared at Natsu. "He tried to cast a spell that would have killed him, all because he felt so much guilt over what happened."

"I…wow. He seems so…in control." Sting followed Natsu's gaze to see Gray signing awkwardly with Rogue, and Rogue beaming from ear to ear.

"He is, usually," Natsu replied. "But he still has nightmares. I…I didn't know until, well…recently." Natsu sighed and leaned his cheek against the top of Sting's head.

"Erza was a slave," Natsu said after a while. "Wendy was abandoned, Laxus has – well, you know about his issues. Elfman – okay this one's a bit weird, but he killed Lisanna by accident." Sting frowned. "We found her, later, in an alternate dimension, but it was really…hard." Sting noticed how Natsu's voice caught on the last bit.

"She was important to you?"

"She was my best friend." Natsu's voice was soft.

"I'm sorry." Sting felt ashamed, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I shouldn't be so—"

"Stop that." Natsu leaned back to look at him and frowned sternly. "I'm not telling you these things to make you feel like you shouldn't talk about your…stuff. I'm just trying to make you realize that you're not the only one here that has needed help. We're all a little broken."

The silent lull between them was only broken by Frosche and Lector laughing at something Happy had done.

"I want to stay." Sting's voice was barely a whisper. "And I know Rogue does too. I just still can't believe you're willing to overlook how we treated you."

"You clearly haven't heard about how Gajeel joined us." Natsu's laughter tickled Sting's ear. "He destroyed the old guild hall and just about killed Levy."

"You guys…what…" Sting fumbled for words, and eventually let out a huff of frustration. "This guild is really weird."

"We are," Natsu agreed. "Which is another excellent reason why you should stay."

"Are you calling me weird?"

"Maybe, what're you gonna do about it?"

Sting paused for a moment, letting out a deep breath.

"I'm gonna join Fairy Tail."

* * *

 _The sun had gone down, finally. An evening breeze blew, and the shadow fled its host, slithering along the ground and hiding in the darkness behind a nearby brush. It cursed. Why had no one come this way? It wasn't strong enough to make the journey without someone to carry it._

 _ **Rogue** , it thought, **why have you abandoned me**?_

* * *

"A shadow?" Freed looked at the young woman curiously, tapping a finger against the hilt of his rapier. It was dark, and they stood outside the train station under a flickering light. The woman was trembling, her elbow held lightly by a Rune Knight. Lahar stood behind them, looking uncharacteristically unsettled.

"It came out of her mouth," the woman replied, her voice wavering. "It filled the air, made everything dark, and then it…jumped into the man. Right into him, and then his eyes turned black."

"Possession magic?" Bickslow managed to look concerned underneath his mask. His stomach was still unsettled from the crime scene behind them. The inside of the train car had been left undisturbed, and Laxus had refused to enter with them, saying that the stench of gore was too strong for his sensitive nose.

The bodies had been ripped to pieces, some unrecognizable as humans. Blood had spattered the walls and drenched the floor in a thick, sticky carpet. Freed still felt like he was wiping it from his shoes.

"Whatever it was, it was in that girl. Her eyes were so red." The woman's voice trembled. "She was there one minute, then it was nothing but…darkness, piercing in and out of those poor people. It would jump in and out of their bodies, along the floor and walls."

"Which way did the man go?" Freed demanded. The woman hesitated for a moment, then turned and pointed away from them.

"Hells," muttered Laxus from behind Freed. "It's headed toward Fairy Tail."

* * *

 _As it turned out, it didn't have to wait long. The previous host's ashes had just blown away as a group of travellers came into view. Four of them – all wizards, by the scent on the air. One of them had to be strong enough to get it to Fairy Tail. The shadow quivered with anticipation, then stilled. One of them…the one with the mask…he used the same magic. Possession magic. If he found out, he could expel the shadow. No good._

 _The shadow swayed back and forth behind the bush, hesitating and weighting its options. It could take the masked one, it supposed, although his power was nothing compared to the blonde one. It could take the blonde one and kill the others. It could take the green-haired one – his power was interesting – kill the masked one and the woman, then take the blonde one after._

 _Perfect. The shadow felt a deep thrill of satisfaction. It waited for the group to come just…a bit…closer…and it pounced._

* * *

 _A/N: So I am a sign language interpreter IRL and use ASL (American Sign Language) almost every day. I'm envisioning something similar for them to be using in Fiore. I'm sure there's gotta be Deaf wizards out there somewhere!_

 _In addition, Rogue is struggling with aphasia (specifically Broca's aphasia) which is common for people who experience an injury to the language center of the brain. It can cause people to speak in "word salad", or to mix up words with entirely different ones. They can also have difficulties understanding other people's spoken language if it's too complex._


	6. Chapter 6

Laxus hated the desert. His shoes were full of sand, his mouth felt coarse and grainy, and the blinding sun was mercilessly hot. They had been travelling for three days before they had been caught in the sandstorm, and were now hopelessly lost.

"Are you sure you can't pick up any scents?" Bickslow demanded for the hundredth time. Laxus growled.

"Maybe I could if I didn't have half the damn desert up my nose." He shielded his eyes and peered around them, seeing nothing but sand dunes in every direction. Except, maybe… "I think I see some trees." Freed joined him, gazing in the same direction, and nodded.

"Here's hoping its not a mirage again," he sighed. His red coat was tied around his waist and his sleeves were rolled up, exposing his impressively muscled forearms. He had also taken the time to braid his thick green hair into an intricate plait that kept it off his back. Laxus would never admit it out loud, but Freed looked hot as hell right now. If it wasn't for this damn sand, he would…well, he'd have to think about that later.

"Please, tell me there's water somewhere nearby," Evergreen groaned as the group made their way toward the trees. Bickslow had removed his hood and was using it to wipe the sweat from his face.

"Or some indication of where we are," Freed replied, lifting the braid from the back of his neck and tucking it over his shoulder. Laxus tried not to stare, but was unsuccessful. The line of Freed's neck was smooth, and Laxus wanted to just lean over and kiss that soft spot above his collarbone…

"Water!" Evergreen's shout brought Laxus out of his reverie, and he fought to keep color from rising in his cheeks. He glanced around and realized that they had reached the area he had seen, and that this time, it was real. A small spout stood in the centre of a grove of bushes, and Bickslow quickly began pumping water. A tiny, empty shack was nestled behind the pump, and Freed headed towards it.

"Well, at least we can rest he—" Freed's words were cut off by a nasty choking sound. He leaned forward, sounding like he might be sick.

"Freed?" Laxus moved closer to the green-haired mage, concern written on his face. Freed was doubled over now, coughing violently, seemingly out of nowhere. "Are you alright?"

One last cough wracked the green-haired man's body, then he stood up to his full height and turned to the rest of the Raijinshuu, an unnaturally wide smile on his face.

"Just delightful," he replied, his voice deep and unfamiliar. His hand dropped to the rapier on his hip and he withdrew the weapon, earning shouts of surprise from his travelling companions.

"Freed, what the hell are you—"

"Shut up," Freed replied impassively, pointing his rapier at Laxus and slashing a set of runes onto the larger man's chest. Laxus cried out and stumbled backwards, then stared up at Freed with a look of confusion on his face as shadowy tendrils rose from the ground, binding his arms and legs. Freed leaned in and drew his finger up Laxus' jaw, then patted him on the cheek. "Good boy. I need you for later." He chuckled, then turned to Bickslow and Evergreen.

"He's possessed!" Bickslow shouted. "Ever, get behind me!" She complied, staring at Freed in bewilderment. An aura of greenish-black energy began to swirl around Bickslow, and his eyes started to glow.

"I don't think so," Freed murmured, using his rapier to scrawl in the air in front of him. "You're not getting me out of here that easily." Before Bickslow could complete his spell, he was doubled over, crying out in pain. Freed looked down at his weapon appreciatively. "What a lovely body," he said softly. "I might keep this one after all."

"Bickslow!" Evergreen was kneeling beside the blue-haired man, who was clutching his head and staring at her with milky-white eyes.

"I can't see," he said softly, blinking several times. "I can't see anything." Freed chuckled darkly.

"I know everything about you," Freed said calmly, in the unfamiliar voice. "You're helpless against my combined strength and knowledge."

"Who are you?" Evergreen shouted, turning to face Freed.

"Why, I'm your dear captain, of course." Freed's smile widened unnaturally, and Evergreen shivered. "I can see everything inside his head, and it's all very…interesting."

"Ever! Cover your eyes!" Laxus' shout was heard a moment too late, and Freed threw the same runes at the fairy mage. She clapped her hands over her eyes, shouting out in agony. Another flick of the rapier caused a wall of runes to spring up around Bickslow and Evergreen, trapping them inside and silencing their cries.

"I _thought_ I told you to be quiet," Freed said dangerously, turning back to Laxus, who was straining against the shadow bonds. The tip of Freed's rapier trailed softly over Laxus' chest, coming to rest against the hollow of his throat. "I need you for later. Although, I might just keep this one." Freed glanced down appreciatively at his own body. "He's quite powerful, and I like his magic."

"Let him go, you bastard!" Laxus snarled, his sharp canines glinting in the sun.

"Or what?" Freed sounded bored. "You're completely at my mercy, and so is he. He's still in here, you know." Freed tapped on his own head and grinned, eyes wide and slightly unfocused. "He's begging me not to hurt you."

"Freed, listen to me, you can beat him," Laxus pleaded. "You're stronger than this!" He struggled against the shadows but they only grew stronger.

"Idiot," Freed sneered. "He's mine now, and I don't think we need you after all." He drew back the rapier and clenched his hand, and the shadows began to constrict around Laxus' torso.

"Freed, please." Laxus lowered his voice. "You can do this, you can fight him. I trust you!"

Freed's face froze, and Laxus could almost see the internal conflict flitting across his face. The hand controlling the magic clasped and unclasped, and eventually Freed's eyes focused on Laxus again.

"I'm…trying…" The words were forced out, but it was Freed's voice, and Laxus could have cried in relief.

"SHUT UP!" The deeper voice took over again, and Freed reached up, grasping his head. Then he looked at Laxus through a curtain of hair, his eyes dark. "This is a feisty one," it laughed. "But I'm stronger." He manipulated the shadows around Laxus into something resembling a rope, and spun the end of it around his hand.

"Freed…" Laxus' voice was soft and pleading.

"I warned you," Freed snarled, yanking on the shadowy rope and forcing Laxus to stagger forwards. "The only reason you're alive is because I'm not certain this one will make it back to Fairy Tail." Laxus thrashed and snarled, glaring at the possessed man.

Freed stepped closer to him again and ran the back of his hand gently along Laxus' cheek. Laxus paused for a second, uncertain, then started as Freed raised his hand and slapped Laxus, _hard_ , across the face.

"You _will_ follow me," the shadow growled, tipping Laxus' chin up and forcing the blonde man to look at him. "Any resistance and I'll simply kill him now and move on to you." A swirl of shadows began to materialize in Freed's hand, and eventually coalesced into a wicked-looking dagger. Grinning, he brought the dagger to his forearm and pressed down.

"Don't!" Laxus cried, struggling to move forward. Freed clicked his tongue and stepped backward, waving a warning finger at the blonde man.

"Shut your mouth and follow me or I'll slit his throat." Blood was pouring from the wound on Freed's forearm now, but he didn't show any signs of pain. Instead, he brought the dagger to his throat and rested it there. "Are you going to be good?" 

* * *

Sting woke to the smell of something burning. When he opened his eyes, the edge of his pillow was on fire.

"What the hell?" He yelped, leaping into a sitting position and putting out the flames with his hand.

"Sorry!" Sting glared up at Natsu, who stood in the door and was wearing only pajama pants and a cheeky smile.

"You lit my _bed_ on fire," Sting grumbled, brushing the ashes onto the floor. "What gives?"

"I wanted to wake you up but I didn't wanna…" Natsu trailed off.

"Touch me, yeah, I get it," Sting sighed. The last time Gray had tried to wake Sting, he had found himself pinned to the wall by his throat. Touching was okay when Sting was awake, but the nightmares made him much more unpredictable. "What's up?" He glanced over his shoulder and realized that Rogue was no longer in bed, although Frosch and Lector were still curled up on his pillow.

"C'mere," Natsu replied, beckoning to Sting and leading him into the kitchen. He gestured to the window and Sting peered out into the garden, a smile instantly breaking out across his face.

"Oh my god, they're ridiculous," he muttered, feeling Natsu's chin on his shoulder. A tentative hand brushed against his side, and when he nodded, he felt Natsu's arms wrap around his waist.

Gray and Rogue were in the garden, standing next to each other in what looked like a fighting stance. They held it for a few moments, then moved in tandem, into a new position. Rogue was gazing intently at Gray's movements, and seemed to be copying them expertly.

"What are they doing?" Sting murmured, and he felt Natsu's breath tickle his neck when he replied.

"I think it's Gray's Ice Make movements." His voice held a deep note of respect. "It's like kata, training your body to make the magic." Sting nodded. "I don't think he's ever shown anyone this before." Sting felt a warmth in his chest as he watched them.

"Rogue seems to be picking it up quickly."

"A shadow and ice unison raid would look pretty cool," Natsu said offhandedly. Sting tensed a bit, jealousy pooling in the pit of his stomach. This was a new feeling. He prodded it curiously. The four of them had fallen into a routine of physical affection, and seeing Natsu and Gray cuddle with Rogue or hold hands didn't bother Sting one bit. But the idea of someone else performing a Unison Raid with Rogue – something only HE had ever done before – rankled him for some reason. Natsu didn't seem to notice.

His pensive mood was broken by the appearance of Lucy and Erza in the garden. Gray and Rogue broke their stances, high-fiving each other and waving at the girls. Erza said something to Gray, and he turned and signed to Rogue.

 _She thinks you'll be better than me soon_. Everyone in the guild was learning the signed language, but some were picking it up quicker than others, and Erza was uncharacteristically shy about it. Natsu had claimed loudly that it was because she had finally encountered something she couldn't beat into submission with her swords, so she had promptly beat him into submission with her swords while the rest of the guild laughed.

"Should we go say hello?" Natsu knocked his head against Sting's and let go of his waist, and the two boys headed out into the yard.

 _Good morning love,_ Sting signed, leaning over and pressing a kiss to the top of Rogue's head. _Sleep okay_? Rogue nodded, leaning into Sting's touch.

 _You sleep_ …Sting saw Rogue hesitate, searching for the appropriate word. _Scared? Bad?_ He looked up at Sting with concern.

 _Just dreams_ , Sting replied, grabbing Rogue's hands and pressing a kiss to his knuckles. _You like training with Gray_? Rogue took a minute to parse the sentence together, then broke into a smile and nodded. Then he held his hand out and grinned a Sting as a small puff of shadows swirled around his fingers, nestling into his palm.

"Sometimes," he said out loud, his hands occupied by the shadow magic. "Little magic." The shadow flickered like a dark flame, then began to swirl up his forearm. "Keep winding more." He frowned. "No. More…"

"Practice?" Sting guessed, and Rogue nodded. Sting knew that Rogue sometimes preferred to struggle through the word difficulty on his own, but occasionally he didn't mind if Sting helped him out.

Sting concentrated, summoning a similar flame of holy light in his own hand, then bringing it over to Rogue's hand. The shadow jumped towards his light and the two magics began to intertwine, weaving up both boy's forearms. The look of joy on Rogue's face nearly brought Sting to tears.

"You two are so cute," Lucy squealed, glancing over at them and smiling.

Rogue stiffened and put out his shadow flame, then turned to Lucy and snarled. Sting looked at him, incredulous. Since he had woken up after the battle, Rogue had been nothing but sweet and good-natured, but now he looked ready to kill. Sting tugged on Rogue's arm, forcing the boy to look at him.

 _What's wrong_? Rogue's expression immediately softened, and he looked at the ground, shame written all over his face.

 _Sorry_ , he signed to Lucy, and she nodded, looking puzzled. Rogue turned back to Sting and hesitated. _Not…waiting. Water. Hills, and hills, and hills_. Sting touched Rogue's chin gently, trying to calm him. He knew that when Rogue became agitated, communicating was more difficult.

 _Breathe_ , he signed. _It's okay. Lucy's not mad_. Lucy smiled, moving slowly so that she was in Rogue's line of vision.

 _Sorry_ , she signed. _Not mad_. Rogue nodded, sniffling a little and tapping his fingers against his palm.

 _Can't. Words._ He exhaled, hard, and squeezed Sting's hands. _Her. Her. Not Lucy. Other. Dark. Oceans._ Understanding dawned on Sting's face.

 _Minerva_? He guessed. The cringe on Rogue's face was enough of a confirmation. _She said that to you_? Rogue nodded, shuddering and then moving toward Sting, burying his face in the blonde boy's shoulder. Sting sighed softly and began to stroke the dark hair.

"Sorry, Lucy," he said softly. "It's not you. He's had…bad experiences. With women." Lucy nodded in understanding, sympathy in her eyes. "She hurt him," Sting continued. "I…he hasn't really talked about it. I thought he might have forgotten after…everything. I'd hoped he had."

"It's okay," Lucy said gently, fighting the urge to reach out and comfort Rogue. She knew that her touch wouldn't be welcomed right now, no matter how well-intended it was. "I understand. I'm sorry." Sting nodded, burying his face in Rogue's hair.

"Lucy, we must go!" Erza called to the blonde girl, and she smiled sadly at Sting, then turned to her friend. Sting saw Natsu dart back into the house, and looked quizzically at Gray, who looked irritated.

"What's going on?" Sting asked. He tugged at Rogue's sleeve, but the dark-haired boy shook his head and remained firmly buried in Sting's chest.

"We need Natsu for a mission," Erza replied, looking serious. "The Raijinshuu have disappeared. They went on a job two weeks ago and haven't returned or checked in."

"You do know that ice powers would be helpful in the _desert_ ," Gray muttered, and Erza gave him an exasperated look.

"Gray, you're still injured. You can't fight." The ice mage glared at her. "Stay here, get stronger, and come with us next time."

"Don't let these two get into too much trouble while I'm gone," Natsu added, sidling up to Gray and wrapping his arms around the ice mage's waist. Gray tried to keep up his irritated expression, but gave in when Natsu kissed his neck.

"Get outta here, ash-breath," he grumbled. "Be safe."

"Back before you know it, ice princess," Natsu replied, then turned Gray to face him and kissed him deeply. Gray's cheeks turned bright pink, but he didn't protest.

"You two keep an eye on him, okay?" Natsu waved at Sting, who nodded. Gray moved over to stand next to Sting, and the two boys watched as the group of mages headed off down the path.

Sting bumped his shoulder against Gray's.

"Breakfast?" He asked. Gray smiled softly.

"Breakfast."


	7. Chapter 7

**TW for flashbacks to child sexual abuse/rape/non-con**

* * *

Rogue sighed at the sensation of hot water running through his hair and down his back. Tipping his head up, he let the water flow over his face; over the thick scar and the soft, short hair that was growing back around it. This was the first shower he had taken since the hospital. So far, Sting had been helping him bathe, but after a particularly frustrating afternoon, Rogue had decided to assert his independence and shower on his own, consequences be damned.

He hummed, foaming up the soap and running it over himself, fingers exploring the new landscape of his scarred body. There was the star-shaped mark in the centre of his chest where Jiemma had hit him, edges puckered and white. A long, jagged line ran up his left thigh, courtesy of falling hundreds of feet and landing under a dragon. His forearms were decorated with thin white scars – some from the war, some from his own battles with himself. He ran a finger along a particularly thick one, remembering how Sting had cried when he had found out about Rogue hurting himself.

 _Sting_. There was the root of all Rogue's frustrations, and all of Rogue's joy. Sting had been nothing but supportive and caring over the past few weeks. He helped Rogue dress, made him meals, helped him find the words when they were stuck in the mess of his head. He held Rogue when he slept, kissed the nightmares away, did everything he could to make Rogue feel safe and loved. So why was Rogue so frustrated?

As he rinsed the soap from his body, he felt a tingling in his groin, and sighed. _There_ was the problem. He reached a hand down slowly and ran his fingertips over the growing hardness. His touch was tentative, but the sensation made him groan in pleasure. He hadn't done _this_ in a while. Rogue rested his other hand against the wall of the shower and leaned his head forward, slowly increasing the pressure and picturing Sting's face. He recalled Sting straddling him, pressing himself against Rogue, kissing him fiercely. Did Sting still see him that way?

His breath was coming faster now – short, sharp pants that carried whispers of Sting's name. Gods, he wanted Sting to touch him like this, to see him as a man and not just something broken.

 _A broken little boy_. The voice jolted him out of his haze of pleasure and his breath caught in his throat. _Just a pretty little face, aren't you_? Minerva's voice. Rogue shook his head, trying to evict the memory. _You're going to be quiet for me_. He wanted to call out for Sting but the words were stuck in his throat. Both hands were pressed against the wall now, all thoughts of pleasure forgotten.

"F….fu…"

 _The room was dark and when the door slid open his heart would thump-thump-thump in terror. She always smiled and he imagined she was a monster, teeth painted with blood. Touch yourself, she would order and he wanted so badly to snap, to let the shadows strangle her, but what would happen to Sting? So he did, and she did, and no matter how much he begged she would always end up on top, pinning his hands to the bed and forcing herself onto him._

"P-p-pl…ple…"

 _You're so cute like this, she would whisper. Such a sweet little boy, so good for me._

"N…no…"

 _Tap. Taptaptap._

A knock on the door. Was that real or in his imagination?

"NO!" He forced the word out before collapsing. The bathroom door flew open and Sting was there in an instant, terror written on his face. He looked down at Rogue who was now huddled on the floor of the shower, hands covering his face, shivering and sobbing.

"Oh, Rogue," he murmured, reaching over and shutting off the water. He placed a gentle hand on Rogue's forearm, but the dark-haired boy jerked away, smashing his head into the door of the shower.

"No!" Rogue shouted, apparently oblivious to the blood now seeping from the gash in his forehead. "No. Touch. No." His eyes were unfocused, and Sting sighed, running a desperate hand through his hair.

"Is everything ok—" Gray paused in the doorway, looking down at the two boys. He took in Rogue's vacant expression and the tremors wracking his body, then knelt down beside Sting. "He's not gonna like this, but it might help." Sting looked ready to protest when Gray reached out a hand and created a layer of frost that ran up Rogue's left arm.

"Cold!" Rogue shouted, tugging his arm closer to him. His eyes cleared, though, and he focused on the icy pattern running up his hand. "C-cold." He looked up to see Gray and Sting looking at him, faces filled with concern. He groaned in embarrassment, burying his face in his arms. "Shit."

Sting grabbed a towel from the side cupboard and held it out to Rogue, letting the soft fabric touch the boy's skin before he did. Rogue didn't protest, so Sting helped him stand and wrapped the towel around his waist.

"C'mon, you," he muttered, pulling one of Rogue's arms around his shoulders. "Thank you," he whispered to Gray, who smiled and went ahead of them into their bedroom. He grabbed a set of clothes for Rogue, handed them to Sting, then headed for the kitchen.

"I'll get the first aid kit and make some tea," he called behind him, and Sting breathed a grateful sigh.

Rogue sat quietly and allowed Sting to help him into his clothing.

"What's going on?" Sting asked softly, reaching out and tilting Rogue's chin until he was making eye contact. Rogue's eyes were filled with a hundred different emotions, and Sting couldn't make sense of it. He recalled Rogue's uncharacteristic anger at Lucy several days ago. "Was it a memory? Minerva?"

"Mn." Rogue grunted a syllable of assent, then dropped Sting's gaze. His hands fisted in the fabric of his pants, which usually meant he was trying to figure out what to say. Sting waited patiently, crouched in front of Rogue, hands on the dark-haired boy's knees.

 _You…love me_? Rogue finally asked. Sting let out a deep breath.

 _Yes_ , he replied emphatically. _Yes, yes, always yes_. Rogue gave him a small smile, but looked unconvinced.

 _Brain…broken_. His signs were hesitant. _Body…not. Wants. Wants YOU_. The last word was emphatic, and Sting realized what he was talking about. He gazed at Rogue, trying to figure out what to say.

 _You're not broken_ , he finally signed. Rogue rolled his eyes. _You're NOT. You're healing_. He hesitated. _It feels wrong._ He saw Rogue's face fall and quickly grabbed the other boy's chin, shaking his head emphatically. _Not wrong because it's you. Wrong because you might not understand. Here_. He tapped his knuckles against Rogue's forehead.

Rogue looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, chewing his bottom lip. Sting felt sick to his stomach. He didn't want Rogue to think that he didn't want to be with him anymore, but this was an area that left him feeling confused. Rogue seemed to be getting back to normal, albeit with some communication challenges, and some difficulties with balance. And Sting couldn't deny that he had been thinking about Rogue in… _that way_ recently, especially when he woke up pressed against the dark-haired boy's lithe body.

"Still…here." Rogue reached out and grabbed Sting's hand, pressing it to the side of his face. He tapped his own finger against the side of his skull. "Still…in here. Same…books. No. Papers?" He snarled in frustration, flashing his sharp teeth at Sting. "Same me. Same you." He rubbed his cheek against Sting's hand, nipping at the soft flesh of his palm and making Sting's heartbeat skyrocket. "Want," he growled.

"Me too," Sting whispered, then leaned forward and pressed his lips to Rogue's. Unlike their chaste kisses over the past few weeks, this one was forceful and messy. Sting's hand rested on Rogue's cheek, and the other hand found its way into his hair, still wet from the shower. Rogue placed both hands on Sting's cheeks and pulled him tightly towards him, moaning into his mouth.

"Shhh," Sting murmured, mindful of Gray in the next room, but Rogue couldn't hear him and continued to make soft noises of want against Sting's skin. Sting bit down on Rogue's lip gently, and the shadow dragon slayer made an obscene noise that went straight to Sting's groin. "Ffffuuuuu—" His moan was cut off by an insistent tongue. Rogue certainly hadn't forgotten how to do this.

After several minutes they broke apart, panting, foreheads resting against each other. Rogue's cheeks were flushed, and Sting was embarrassed to see that they had forgotten about his head wound and that the blood had dripped down his face.

 _Okay_? Sting grinned as Rogue nodded and nuzzled his neck. He pressed a gentle kiss on Rogue's forehead, then leaned back. _You're bleeding_. Rogue raised a hand to his face and sighed. _Gray has bandages. And tea_. Rogue hesitated.

"Want this," he said quietly, clasping Sting's hands to his chest. "Slow." Sting could tell he was thinking back to what had happened in the washroom. He caught Rogue's gaze.

"If you ever want to stop, I will." Sting waited until he could see that Rogue understood what he was saying. "Tell me, sign it, or touch here." He drew Rogue's hand toward him and used it to tug gently on his earring. "That means stop, okay?" Rogue nodded, smiling. "I love you. I'm not her." Rogue shivered a bit, then raised his hand gently to Sting's face, tracing the scar that ran through his eyebrow. Sting shuddered. Jiemma had given that to him the very first time he had beaten him.

Rogue leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to the scar. "Love you too."

* * *

"Thmff mff ammfhnf," Sting mumbled incoherently around a mouthful of mochi. Rogue, now cleaned and bandaged, gave him an exasperated look. Sting swallowed, then turned to Gray and grinned. "This is amazing," he repeated, grabbing a second piece and cramming it into his mouth. Gray blushed, settling down on the couch behind Rogue. He and Sting sat on the floor in front of a platter of half-eaten wagashi.

"Fro thinks so too!" The pink-spotted Exceed was curled up on Rogue's lap, chewing on their own treat.

"Ur – my adopted mom – taught me to make them," Gray replied, making sure Rogue could see his lips when he spoke.

"Taught good." Rogue grinned, sipping his tea. "Magic and food." Gray laughed. Sting glanced curiously at the ice mage, remembering what Natsu had said about the demon killing Gray's family.

"She was a good teacher," he replied, gazing out the window. He hesitated, then added, "I miss her." Rogue reached out and squeezed Gray's knee gently. "We would train all day in the snow, and then come home for tea. Lyon would always stuff his face, he was such a pig." Sting snorted, trying to picture the white-haired mage as a child.

"She's…gone?" Rogue asked carefully. Sting started, then realized that Rogue didn't know anything about Gray's past. From what Natsu had told him, it seemed like it was a sensitive subject. Gray gave Rogue a strange look, then ducked his head and smiled.

"Yes," he replied, absently freezing the surface of his tea and thawing it again. "She died saving me."

"Sorry," Rogue said quietly, eyes soft. Frosch moved off Rogue's lap and clambered up onto the couch next to Gray, nuzzling his arm. Gray smiled and petted the Exceed gently.

"It's okay," Gray replied, laying his hand over Rogue's on his knee. "I don't mind talking about her. Today's a good day." Rogue nodded in understanding.

"Bad days sometimes?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. He may not have been able to hear Gray shouting in his sleep, but he had seen the tender way that Natsu treated him when Gray's moods were especially dark.

"Less now," Gray admitted. "It gets better." He smiled at Rogue, squeezing his hand, and Sting knew he wasn't just talking about his own demons. Rogue looked pensive.

"Sometimes…" Rogue hesitated. "Bad…thinking? Before?"

"Memories?" Sting guessed, and Rogue nodded.

"Memories. Stuck…like now." Rogue chewed his lip anxiously.

"Is that what happened in the shower?" Gray asked gently, but he already knew the answer before Rogue nodded. "That's why I used the ice. It helps, sometimes. Brings you back here." He tapped the back of Rogue's hand, causing a swirling pattern of snowflakes to dance up his arm. Rogue watched it, entranced.

Sting smiled at the enchanted look on Rogue's face. His face was always so…open, so innocent and joyful. After years of seeing nothing but fear hidden behind a curtain of dark hair, the change was incredibly rewarding.

"We need to fix your hair," Sting said absently, reaching up and running his fingers through Rogue's mostly-dry locks. It had been cut short on the right side to allow the healers access to his head wound, but the rest had grown much longer and thicker since they had left Crocus. Sting loved the feel of it under his fingers.

"You mean _I_ need to fix his hair?" Gray teased. Sting rolled his eyes. Freed had taken it upon himself to teach them how to braid Rogue's hair, but neither Sting nor Natsu could seem to get the hang of it. They both claimed it was a "dragon slayer thing". Rogue snorted, then scooted over to the couch until he was sitting between Gray's legs. Gray began to comb his fingers through the tangled mess, and Rogue leaned into the touch, humming contentedly.

Sting leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Rogue's forehead, then snuggled up to him and pillowed his head in the dark-haired boy's lap. Lector curled up against Sting's stomach, and he sighed in contentment. Gentle fingers began to run down his back, and he exhaled softly against Rogue's stomach.

Gray hummed quietly as he combed his fingers through Rogue's soft hair, teasing out the knots and being careful to avoid his scar. There was something about doing this that was so…intimate. Not in the way that he was with Natsu, but in a way that he had never felt before with friends. Once Rogue's hair was untangled, Gray's fingers began to weave back and forth, plaiting it together in a loose braid.

"Sing?" Rogue asked, gazing fondly down at Sting, who responded by blushing furiously and burying his face in Rogue's lap. "Please?" Rogue ran his fingers behind Sting's ear and rubbed at the soft spot there, eliciting a quiet groan. Sting sighed, lifting himself up on his elbows and looking up at Gray, who was smirking at him.

"Shut it," he grumbled. He looked up at Rogue's open, peaceful face and he felt his stomach flutter. How could he say no to this ridiculous, beautiful, sweet man that he loved?

 _Hush now my darling, the daylight is done,  
Your scales catching moonlight instead of the sun_

Sting's voice was rough and untrained, but Gray could tell that this was a lullaby he had sung many times. He reached the end of the braid and admired his handiwork, then hesitated. With Frosch curled up beside him, the warm presence of Rogue leaning against his stomach, and Sting's quiet singing, he felt like he could live in this moment forever. Smiling softly, he tugged his fingers through the braid and unwound it, combing it out and starting over.

 _So lay down your head, till the dawn comes anew  
For here there be dragons to watch over you_

* * *

 _A/N: There is definitely something intimate about playing with another person's hair. My old friend grew his hair super long and we used to spend afternoons together where I would braid it over and over while we talked and drank tea._

 _The song Sting sings is "A Dragon's Lullaby" by Tom Smith (C) 2006_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: So this chapter is basically to move the plot forward. Not much romance/angst here. Hopefully it's still enjoyable! Once again I am tampering with canon and people's abilities._

* * *

"I think I found something!" Natsu's shout was muffled by the scarf wrapped tightly around his face, leaving only a small slit for him to see through. Ahead, through the dunes, he could barely see what looked like a shimmering purple box. Erza's hand was on his shoulder, and she urged him forward, keeping a tight grip on him as they waded through the swirling sand.

"It's Evergreen and Bickslow!" Lucy cried, dropping to her knees next to the rune cage. Static crackled and zapped her hand as she tried to touch it. "This looks like Freed's work!"

"Are they alive?" Natsu asked. Erza nodded.

"They're both breathing, but we have to get them out of here." She prodded the rune cage with her sword, but all that happened was purple electricity swirling up the blade.

"Yeah, problem is, where's _here_?" Natsu growled, straining to see anything other than sand and sun. "And where are Freed and Laxus?" Suddenly a shape began to coalesce through the storm. "Wait, I think somebody." Erza looked over to where Natsu was indicating, and saw two figures approaching.

"Freed? Laxus?" Erza's shouts were whipped away by the wind.

"Something's wrong," Natsu said softly, instinctively dropping into a fighting stance and summoning flames in his hand. Erza took his cue and withdrew her katana. Armour wouldn't do her any good out here in the sand, where it would lock up her joints and keep her immobile. "Oi, Laxus, is that you?"

* * *

Laxus collapsed onto his knees, coughing and choking on the whirling sand. The shadowy bonds around his chest tightened, but he did his best to ignore them. The skin around them was blistered and cracked, leaving a dull burn in their wake.

"Another break?" The _thing_ in Freed's body sneered at him. Laxus coughed again, resigned to the dots of bright red blood on the sand in front of him. A water canteen was shoved against his lips, and although he wanted desperately to refuse, he was too thirsty to care about his dignity.

 _Hold on, Laxus_. Freed huddled in the corner of his own mind, watching his body move as if from a great distance. _They will send someone for us. I know they will_. Then he turned back to the work in front of him. Runes were scrawled in the tiny headspace, hidden from the shadow's prying eyes by several wards. Freed was actually fairly impressed by the work, but didn't have time to celebrate. His trap was almost complete.

"Better?" The shadow yanked the canteen away from Laxus, watching the larger man struggle to his feet. They had been walking for…how long now? Days? The information from Freed's mind said they were almost out of the desert.

"Go to hell," Laxus growled. His vision blurred, but he stubbornly remained standing. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had last eaten, and although he was loathe to admit it, he wasn't sure how much longer he would last. _Hurry up, Freed,_ he pleaded silently. He knew his friend was still in there, and was going to figure out a way to save them. _We don't have much time left_.

"Oi, Laxus, is that you?" The blonde man's head snapped up at the familiar sound of Natsu's voice. Peering ahead, he realized that he could see the vague outline of trees through the swirling sand. The same trees where Freed had become possessed…

"How DARE YOU?" Freed's voice shrieked beside him, and Laxus turned to see the green-haired man with his fists in his hair, eyes wide. "You LIED to me!" He shook his head, eyes blurring from normal to black, and Laxus realized that he had released the shadow bonds.

 _You have to weaken me, Freed thought desperately. He's too strong_.

"What's going on?" Natsu's voice was closer now, and Freed could see him and Erza approaching. _Shit. He'll try to jump to one of them._

"Get AWAY!" Laxus stared at Freed, recognizing the voice as his friend's. "Laxus, lightning, NOW!" Natsu and Erza looked on in shock as Freed threw his head back and growled.

"Don't even _think_ about it," he snarled in a completely different voice, but it was too late. Laxus reached up, summoning enough lightning to injure the rune mage, but not kill him.

"I'm sorry, Freed," he whispered, then fired the bolt directly into his friend's chest. Freed cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, gasping.

 _Perfect, Freed murmured to himself, feeling his own defences drop. He scrawled the final rune, then sighed in relief as he felt the shadow being sucked into the cage he'd built._

"NO!" The dark voice screamed.

"Laxus, what the hell—" Natsu's protests were interrupted by Laxus grabbing him by the front of his shirt and throwing him backwards in to Erza, knocking her over.

"Trust me," Laxus snarled. "That's not Freed."

 _The shadow screamed inside of him, desperately clawing for a foothold in Freed's mind. Freed pushed more of his magic into the runes, trembling with exhaustion._

Freed's body began to glow with a faint purple light, runes breaking out over his skin. His eyes widened and his mouth opened as if to scream, but nothing came out. The light from the runes grew brighter and brighter, and everyone shielded their eyes against it.

And then the light was gone, and all that was left was Freed's limp body, collapsed facedown in the sand.

"Freed!" Laxus dove to the ground next to the rune mage, turning him over and placing his hands on either side of Freed's face. "He's breathing." He let out a sigh of relief as Natsu and Erza approached warily. "He was possessed, a shadow demon."

Natsu stared at Freed in confusion. "Is he dangerous?"

"Locked…up now." Freed's voice was weak but it was definitely his own. Laxus leaned forward and stroked the green hair. "Dunno…how long. Need…knock me out…until…" He broke off in a coughing fit, blood flecking his lips.

"You did it," Laxus murmured, rubbing Freed's back as he struggled to breathe. "You did it, we're gonna be okay." Erza placed a hand on the large man's shoulder.

"Evergreen and Bickslow are alive," she said, indicating her head toward the grove of trees.

"I…augmented his runes," Freed gasped. "More like…stasis…than cage." He struggled to sit up and Laxus wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. "Told him…we were leaving…desert…but just went…in circles." He started to cough again, doubling over in pain. Laxus lifted Freed easily into his arms, and the four mages headed toward Lucy and the rune cage.

"You gotta stop doing this," Laxus murmured into Freed's ear. "I dunno if I can handle saving your ass this often." Freed let out a weak laugh.

"Pretty sure…I saved…your ass," Freed murmured. "Maybe…I like…being carried…by you." Laxus' cheeks flushed pink. "Let me…release them." Laxus set Freed gently on the ground next to the rune cage and he ran his hands over it. The runes began to slowly dissipate, leaving behind the unconscious but relatively unharmed bodies of Bickslow and Evergreen. Freed sighed in relief, then collapsed backward against Laxus.

"What happened?" Lucy demanded.

"Long story," Laxus grunted. "We need to get back to the guild. Fast." Erza frowned.

"Shouldn't we take him to the Magic Council?" She demanded. "They were the ones investigating. Maybe they can find a way to remove the shadow demon from Freed."

"We need to find a way out of this desert first," Lucy reminded them.

"I…might have a way," Erza muttered. She reached under her armour and pulled out a small pendant that hung on a thin silver chain around her neck. Natsu cackled.

"Your boyfriend gonna come save us?" He grinned until Erza gave him a stony look, after which he hid behind Lucy. Erza tapped the pendant a few times and it began to glow with magic, then crackle with static.

"Erza?" Jellal's voice came through, broken up by distance but recognizable. "Are you alright?"

"We're stuck in the desert," Erza replied, "And we have wounded. And…a bit of a mystery. Can you help?" The static continued for a moment, then Jellal's voice came through again.

"I can call in a favour," he replied. "How long can you manage?" Erza glanced over at Laxus, who was coughing up blood, and Freed, who looked more dead than unconscious.

"Not long," she admitted. There was silence for a moment, then the sound of some papers being rustled. Finally Jellal's voice broke through again.

"Give me two hours."

* * *

 _That…brat. How had he done it? How had he imprisoned the shadow so easily? None but Rogue had ever resisted its influence. NONE. It had been so busy revelling in the power that it hadn't noticed the false information, the prison that he had built inside his own head._

 _It slammed against the prison now, snarling at the runic bars and trying to force them open. They held fast, but the shadow managed to get a tendril through. It slipped out of the bars, reaching through the man's mind and stretching down into his body._

 _ **Wake up** , the shadow thought. **Wake up, and I will take you again**._

* * *

The two hours passed slowly. Natsu and Erza moved Evergreen and Bickslow into the relative shade of the small shack, while Lucy pumped water for everyone. After half an hour of sitting in the wind, Laxus finally suggested that Natsu help him fry the sand with lightning to make a glass barrier. It worked surprisingly well, and all of them were huddled miserably behind it when Doranbolt suddenly appeared next to Erza.

"Whoa," he exclaimed, staggering a bit. "You really _were_ in the middle of nowhere. Sorry it took me so long to get here." He gratefully took the cup of water Lucy passed to him.

"Aren't you the guy who pretended to be part of Fairy Tail?" Natsu looked suspiciously at the scarred man. "Back on Tenrou?" Doranbolt had the decency to look guilty.

"It was…well, yes." He glanced at Natsu apologetically. "Sorry? I did try to—"

"Yeah, I remember," Natsu waved a hand at him. "It's all good." Doranbolt gaped. These people were ridiculously forgiving.

"Can you get them to safety?" Erza interrupted, pointing at the Raijinshuu. Laxus had fallen asleep with Freed in his arms, but now he stirred.

"He needs help," Laxus said gruffly, gesturing to Freed. The rune mage remained unconscious, and dark lines had begun to appear on his skin. Doranbolt knelt next to him, placing a hand on Freed's face. Laxus held back a growl.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's possessed," Lucy replied, "A shadow demon."

"The shadow demon…" Doranbolt whispered. His face had paled, and he looked uncertain.

"We thought the magic council might be—"

"NO!" Doranbolt snapped, then raised his hands apologetically. "No, that's not a good idea. If they find out about this, they'll uncover what happened with the dragons."

"Uncover?" Natsu looked confused. "You mean they don't know about it? And what does that have to do with the demon?"

"I…may have altered some memories?" Doranbolt looked guilty. "If they found out about the spell from the Book of Zeref…"

"It was probably the best thing to do," Erza admitted, although Natsu still looked baffled. "So, no magic council then? What do we do? What does it want? What IS it?" Doranbolt shook his head.

"It's an unidentified demon. It was possessing another wizard for quite a long time - Rogue Cheney."

"WHAT?" Natsu's expression changed from confused to completely bewildered. "Surveillance? Have you _met_ that kid? He's like…a kitten. He's harmless." He glanced over to Lucy and Erza. "Please _never_ tell him that I said that."

"You haven't seen what he's capable of with the shadow's help," Doranbolt replied sadly. "He…was an easy target for possession. Trauma does that to a person." Natsu looked downcast. "The fact that he was able to overcome it most of the time was a testament to his strength. The council never intervened, but there was pressure from some members to consider apprehending him in the interest of public safety."

Natsu snorted, rubbing his eyes.

"Well he's not much of a menace now," he grumbled. "When I left he was snuggling with his boyfriend and doing _kata_ with mine." Lucy smiled to herself – she hadn't heard Gray and Natsu talk much about their relationship yet, and it was sweet to hear Natsu refer to the ice mage as his boyfriend.

"His…your…" Doranbolt blinked a few times. "He's with Fairy Tail now?"

"Not officially," Natsu replied. "But him and Sting are living with us now. And I promise you, Rogue is not a danger to anyone or anything. He's…well…" Natsu trailed off.

"He suffered severe injuries after the battle," Erza continued for him. "He's still recovering but will never be back to what he was before." Doranbolt looked down at Freed, frowning.

"Could someone help _my_ bo—" Laxus caught himself and turned a bright red color, then gestured at Freed. "Help him. Please."

"I can take him back to the guild," Doranbolt replied. "That will be the safest place for now. As long as the council doesn't know about the demon yet…" he trailed off as he saw the expression on Laxus' face.

"They were there," Laxus said. "They requested us for the job. The one with the glasses, he heard us talking about the shadow."

"Lahar. Shit." Doranbolt cursed, reaching out and grabbing both Freed and Laxus. "We need to get back there quick, before they get to Rogue."

* * *

 _Harmless? **His** Rogue? Impossible. His power had been incredible, and the shadow had been so close to breaking through his resolve and accessing it. The injuries he sustained couldn't have been enough to dampen his magic. Could they?_


	9. Chapter 9

Sting woke slowly to the sensation of someone watching him, and blinked blearily until Rogue's face came into focus. The dark-haired boy was leaning on his elbow, head in his hand, and was smiling softly at Sting. The early morning sun was drifting in through the blinds behind him, casting his hair into a halo of soft light.

"Mornin'," Stong mumbled, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand. Rogue pressed a finger to his lips and gestured to the arm draped over Sting's side. Sting smiled, reaching down and grasping the hand resting on his stomach. From behind him, Gray muttered something incoherent and buried his face in the back of Sting's neck.

 _Sleep okay?_ Rogue signed, reaching over and running a gentle hand through Sting's messy hair. Sting made a noise that was most definitely _not_ a purr, then turned and nuzzled his face into Rogue's hand, careful not to disturb Gray.

 _Mostly_ , he signed awkwardly with the hand trapped beneath him. Gray exhaled softly into the hair at the back of his neck, then tightened his arm around Sting's waist and threw a leg over his for good measure. _He's like an…octopus_. Rogue laughed quietly.

 _I woke up – before sun – all too many feet._ Sting snorted, picturing three sets of legs tangled around each other. He looked up at Rogue again, smiling at the peaceful expression on the other boy's face. His braid had come undone overnight and his hair stuck up in every direction. The way the light spilled into the room highlighted one side of his face, accentuating the tiny dusting of freckles across his cheeks and the line of the scar across his nose. Rogue frowned at him. _What_?

 _You're gorgeous,_ Sting replied, releasing Gray's hand to reach out and trace the side of Rogue's face, which was now flushed pink with embarrassment. _I'm serious. You're beautiful. I need to learn more signs to describe your face._ His hand reached Rogue's forehead and combed back through his hair, trailing down to Rogue's ear and caressing the soft skin behind it. Rogue closed his eyes and sighed happily. They sat like that for a moment, then Rogue opened his eyes and looked quizzically at Sting.

 _Guild today?_ The two of them had decided to officially join Fairy Tail, and needed to visit Master Makarov to receive their marks. Sting also wanted to find and apologize to Yukino, who he found out from Erza had joined Fairy Tail as well.

Sting nodded, motioning for Rogue to lean closer to him and then kissing him softly. He kept his hand in Rogue's hair, scraping his fingers against the other boy's scalp to pull him in deeper. Rogue nipped at Sting's lower lip, then pulled away and grinned.

 _I make breakfas_ t, he signed, sitting up slowly and stretching. _Let Gray sleep. You stay_. Sting nodded, yawning and burying his face back into the pillow. He could feel Gray stirring softly behind him, and doubted the ice mage would stay asleep much longer.

Natsu had been gone for five days, and Gray hadn't been taking it well. Yesterday had been the worst day yet – he had been moody and frustrated, and had even snapped at Rogue at one point. It had come to a head when Juvia had come by with some baking and a hand-knit scarf, and Gray had refused the gift and stormed off, leaving Juvia in tears. Sting and Rogue had comforted her as best they could – Sting knew she was infamous for having an unhealthy obsession with Gray, but even he had thought the ice mage had overreacted.

Eventually Lyon, Gray's adopted brother, had come by to explain to them all that it was the anniversary of their mother's death, hence Gray's bad mood. After that, Sting and Rogue had ordered takeout and invited both Juvia and Lyon to stay for supper. When Gray finally returned, late in the evening, the two dragon slayers had forced him in between them on the couch, and watched a movie on the lacrima. Gray hadn't had the energy to protest and had eventually fallen asleep between them, and Sting had brought him to their bed afterward.

 _We're all a little broken._ Natsu's words rang in Sting's ears as he shuffled himself until he was lying on his back and was able to get a good look at Gray. His eyes were still red and puffy from crying, and his face seemed pale and drawn. Sting tried to imagine what watching your parent die would feel like, and was very relieved that he couldn't. He sighed softly and laid a hand on Gray's head, stroking his hair and hoping that Natsu would be home soon.

* * *

Rogue's breakfast was surprisingly good – him and Sting had always been hopeless cooks, and generally depended on Gray to make their meals, but Rogue was adamant that he could make pancakes. Gray had gradually been coaxed out of bed by the smell of bacon, and it was nice enough outside that they were all able to eat in the garden. Afterward, Sting tidied up and did the dishes while Gray showered and braided Rogue's hair, and then the three of them headed to the guild.

Gray tugged on Rogue's sleeve as they made their way down the tree-lined path.

 _I'm sorry._ His cheeks were pink with embarrassment and shame. _I shouldn't have_ –

Rogue smiled, grabbing both of Gray's hands and shaking his head. The dappled sunlight through the leaves cast strange shadows over Rogue, and Sting thought that he looked more like himself than he had in a long time.

 _No sorry. You were sad._ Gray's shoulders slumped. _I miss…dragon…parent?_ He paused, glancing over at Sting to get confirmation of their made-up sign for Skiadrum. _Miss Skiadrum too._ Gray nodded, bumping his shoulder against Rogue's and smiling.

Sting reached out and grabbed Rogue's hand as they turned the corner towards the guild hall. He hadn't been back since he had punched Laxus in the face, and was feeling a bit anxious about returning. Rogue hadn't visited at all yet, although most of the guild had come to their home to visit him. Something about Rogue seemed to bring out the best in people. It was such a change from the moody, antisocial boy Sting had grown up with.

 _Are you ready to officially join this ridiculous group?_ Gray's question was emphasized by a loud shout and a bang as Gajeel came flying out the front door of the guild, tumbled for several feet, then came to an uncomfortable-looking stop against a tree.

"What're you lookin' at?" He growled at the trio, message obvious even though Rogue couldn't hear him. He stood up, dusted himself off, then charged back inside.

 _Who is he even fighting_? Gray frowned. _Natsu and Laxus aren't even here._ A loud shout about something being "manly" made him roll his eyes. _Elfman_.

 _I maintain that this guild is fucking weird_ , Sting signed, rolling his eyes. Gray grinned.

 _Well you're joining it, so what does that say about you?_

* * *

As soon as they stepped into the guild, Gray headed off to find Juvia and apologize to her, which left Sting and Rogue standing awkwardly in the doorway. It seemed like most of Fairy Tail was here today, and most of them looked up and waved.

"Sting! Rogue!" A familiar voice called out, and a petite white-haired woman made her way toward them.

"Yukino!" Sting was so relieved to see her. He had been wracked with guilt about how she had been treated – about how _he_ had treated her. Calling her weak, making fun of her humiliation…it seemed like that was a different person from who he was now. He _hoped_ it was a different person from who he was now. "Yukino, I am so sorry."

Rogue strained to hear Sting's words, but with the level of noise in the guild, it was almost impossible. He also felt strangely uncomfortable around Yukino. He knew that she had been new to Sabertooth, and she didn't know anything about what had happened to him and Sting, but he still felt…strange. Sabertooth felt like a million years ago, and seeing someone from that life made his skin crawl a bit. For the first time in a while, he felt the urge to blend into the shadows and escape.

He tugged on Sting's sleeve. _Can't_ _hear_ , _too_ _loud_. He gestured vaguely around them. _I_ _go_ _sit_.

 _I can sign_ , Sting said immediately, but Rogue shook his head and leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to Sting's nose. Sting smiled, then gestured behind Rogue. When he turned around, Levy and Wendy were standing there, smiling.

 _I found a new book of signs_! Levy's face was bright with excitement. Out of everyone at the guild, her and Freed were the ones who had picked up the signing quickest. She had read every book on the subject, and was probably more fluent than Rogue was at this point. _Want to come see_? Rogue nodded, smiling, then followed the two girls to their table.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Yukino said to Sting as he watched Rogue head off with the girls. He turned back to her and sighed.

"I should have stood up for you – I shouldn't have been such an—"

"I didn't know," she said quietly, looking down at her feet. "I was angry at the time, but I didn't know about Jiemma, about the…"

"The…" Sting stalled. The word _abuse_ had been thrown at him a few times, but he still didn't feel comfortable with it. He wasn't sure how else to describe his experience, though. "He was awful," he finally said. "He hurt Rogue and I for a long time." His stomach clenched and he felt a flush running from his chest to his cheeks, making him feel slightly dizzy. "It's still really hard to talk about," he admitted. "I wish I was able to warn you. I'm sorry."

"At least it brought us here," she said softly, and when he looked up at her, she was smiling. She looked hesitant for a moment, then darted forward and pressed a quick kiss to Sting's cheek. He didn't even have time to flinch, and he stared at her for a moment, stunned. "I'm so sorry," she said immediately, covering her mouth in embarrassment. "I wasn't thinking."

"It's…okay," Sting said slowly, trying to sort out his feelings. He wasn't feeling panicked or threatened, just mildly uncomfortable. "It's fine. Really. But…" he trailed off, looking over to Rogue who was smiling and looking through a large book with Wendy and Levy. "Don't do that to Rogue, okay? He doesn't…he just…" Sting sighed, running a hand over his face. "Minerva." Yukino looked puzzled for a moment, then her eyes widened.

"You mean she—"

"I really don't walk to talk about it," Sting said honestly. "And I don't think he does either. Just…don't ever touch him without his permission, okay?" Yukino nodded, embarrassed.

"I'm trying to learn the signs," she said softly. "It feels strange, but I want to be able to talk to him. He…understands now?" Sting could tell she was trying to be delicate.

"Mostly, but sometimes you have to use simpler sentences," he explained. "He can still hear a bit on the left side, but you have to be right up close and he doesn't like that."

"Except with you," Yukino smiled. "And Natsu and Gray." Sting blushed.

"Well, that's – I mean we're all guys – and living – and he trusts…" he stammered for a moment before exhaling in exasperation. He hadn't really had time to think about how other people might perceive their…living situation. He knew that some people – Jiemma included – felt that men loving men or women loving women was some sort of unhealthy abomination. It hadn't been a problem here so far, and Sting didn't think it would be. There was clearly something going on between Laxus and Freed and nobody batted an eye. But with all four of them living together, even occasionally sleeping together – what _did_ other people think? Did they know there was a difference between him sleeping curled up with Natsu compared with when he did the same thing with Rogue? None of them had ever talked about it, it had just felt natural and they all seemed to be one the same page.

"I didn't mean to offend," Yukino said, yanking Sting out of his thoughts. He shook his head, then flashed her a grin.

"No worries."

"Hey! Drink?" Sting looked up to see Cana waving at them from the bar, motioning to the empty cup in front of her. Yukino smiled gently and declined, politely excusing herself as Sting made his way over to the card mage. He silently thanked her for interrupting the awkward moment.

"I think I'm good," he said, looking at the cup and wincing. "Last time I got drunk I tried to pick a fight with Laxus." Cana snorted, then hooked the chair next to her with her foot and pulled it out, offering it to Sting.

"Probably not the best idea, hey?" He shook his head and sat down. She took a swig from her own bottle, then glanced over at Rogue. "So, have you two…" she signed something unfamiliar, and Sting frowned. "Oh, you didn't learn those signs?" Cana giggled. "Levy found a…special book." Sting felt his face flushing as he suddenly realized what that sign meant.

"I, ah…we, um," he stammered, and Cana laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. He flinched a little, but tried not to let it show. "Don't worry about it, I'm just teasing." Sting felt an arm around his shoulders and looked up to see Gray beside him. He leaned into the ice mage, feeling the slight buzz of anxiety in the back of his head fading away.

"Did you seriously manage to lose your pants already?" Cana sighed, and Gray didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed, just glanced down at his boxers and shrugged. He turned to Sting.

"Ready to come see Gramps for your mark?" Gray asked. Sting nodded, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "You okay?" He tilted his head back and forth hesitantly.

"Last time I joined a guild…" he trailed off a bit. "It's just not a good memory." Gray nodded.

"Well, you've pretty much been part of Fairy Tail for the last month or so anyway," Cana pointed out. "This just makes it official. And Rogue's fan club would be sad if you changed your mind." Sting snorted.

"Good point." Sting grinned and moved to stand. "Let me just go get R—"

He was interrupted by a loud clanking from the front of the guild hall, and he looked up to see a group of mages, dressed in blue and white robes with an unfamiliar symbol stitched on the front. At the head of the group was a taller man, wearing a dark blue jacket and a white cloak with a blue clasp. He had long, black hair pinned at the back of his head, and wire-rimmed glasses.

"What's the Magic Council doing here?" Gray murmured, confused. Sting shook his head. He hadn't had much dealings with the Council during his time at Sabertooth – those responsibilities usually fell to Jiemma.

"I wish to speak to Master Makarov," the man with the glasses demanded, and Gray saw that Makarov had already made his way down to the main floor and was standing in the centre of the guild hall, arms crossed, giving the group a cool look.

"What can I do for you, Lahar?" The master demanded. A strange, uncomfortable feeling sunk into the pit of Sting's stomach, and it screamed at him that he needed to _protect Rogue immediately_. He slid out from under Gray's arm and began to move to the other side of the room, where Rogue was still sitting with the girls, oblivious to the interruption.

"We are in the middle of an investigation of demonic attacks in the area," Lahar replied. "I believe you are harbouring a person of interest in our investigation." Makarov frowned at the dark-haired man.

"I'm certain that there are no demonologists hiding in our guild," he replied, trying to keep his tone light. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sting moving towards Rogue.

"We know that a shadow mage is here." All heads in the guild turned to Lahar, except for Rogue. He looked up at Wendy and Levy, frowning. "We are here to take Rogue Cheney into custody."

* * *

 _A/N: So, a lot of the reactions that Sting has to talking about his abuse and thinking about it come from my own experience. I still don't like that word, and I don't feel like he would either. That being said, everyone is different! ^_^_


	10. Chapter 10

_**TW for past child/sexual abuse, self harm and suicidal ideation**_

* * *

"We are here to take Rogue Cheney into custody."

Gasps and murmurs immediately broke out throughout the guild hall. Gray shouted something at Sting, but he was already ducking around groups of people and weaving through tables, making his way over to where Rogue sat in the back of the hall with Wendy and Levy. Rogue was looking around, puzzlement clear on his face.

"What proof do you have that Rogue is involved with these incidents?" Makarov demanded, sensing the tension in the air.

"I don't need to explain myself to you," Lahar replied, then motioned to two of his knights. "I have the authority to apprehend anyone we suspect is involved in a serious crime."

Rogue looked around him, confused. Everyone was staring at this group that had come in the door, and the guild was now tense and angry. What had happened? What was going on?

Suddenly, two of the robed figures began making their way toward his table, pushing other guild members none-too-gently out of the way. Levy began to say something to them, but she was sitting to Rogue's right and he couldn't hear her. He tugged on Wendy's sleeve, but she was gazing past them at Master Makarov.

Suddenly, one figure reached out and grabbed Rogue's shoulder across the table. He instinctively jerked backwards, then realized that the man was speaking to him.

"-nee-me-thu-" Rogue's heart pounded in his ears. The only thing he could hear was his own shaky breathing.

"No," he said, shaking his head. He could see Sting out of the corner of his eye, moving towards him, signing something that he couldn't quite catch. Wendy was trying to speak to him now, touching his sleeve, but he panicked and tugged his arm away from her. What was going on?

"-s-res-c-ff-c-mag-" The man was speaking again, and he moved around the table and reached for Rogue's arm. Rogue flinched backwards again, knocking his chair over and tumbling to the ground. He could feel himself trembling, his breathing shaky and shallow.

"Don't," he cried as the hand reached for him again, and he saw Wendy try to step in between them, only to be shoved roughly out of the way.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Sting shouted, breaking into a run and sliding over a table to make his way to the Rune Knights. "You're scaring him!" The knight who wasn't reaching for Rogue turned and blocked Sting with her arm.

"He's being taken into custody, Elfram is explaining that to him." Her voice was sharp and unpleasant, as was her face.

"He can't hear you," Sting begged, trying to duck around the arm. Instead, his own arms were jerked behind his back by another knight, and Sting snarled at him. "He can't hear you, he's deaf." His voice was pleading, and he could hear other shouts of indignation from the rest of the guild. Makarov was arguing hotly with Lahar, but all Sting could see was Rogue, lying on the floor with his arm raised to defend himself against Elfram.

Elfram had taken out a set of magic cuffs and was waving them at Rogue, explaining slowly what was going on, but Sting could see that Rogue was too worked up to understand. The man was large and intimidating, and Sting felt a hot flash of fear. This was Jiemma all over again, except instead of him on the floor, it was Rogue.

"He doesn't understand you!" Sting screamed, struggling against the knight behind him. "He can't understand when he gets scared! Can't you see he's terrified of you?"

Rogue was openly crying now, trying to move backwards toward the bar, keeping one arm raised above his face. He could see Sting, restrained by another of the robed figures, screaming in anger and fear. Suddenly, Rogue felt a set of legs behind him, and the temperature in the guild quickly dropped to freezing.

"ICE MAKE: WALL!" Gray's shout echoed throughout the guild hall, and an enormous wall of ice exploded up between Rogue and Elfram. It sliced between the knight and Sting, and brought Wendy, Charle and Levy to their side as well. The wall reached to the ceiling and wrapped around the group of mages, sealing them on one side of the guild.

"Rogue," Sting gasped, dropping to his knees and reaching out toward his partner. Rogue's eyes were wide, but he recognized Sting, and threw himself forward, trembling. Sting wrapped his arms tightly around Rogue, stroking his dark hair and whispering into his ear. "It's okay, shhhh, you're safe, I've got you, love. I'm here. You're okay."

Gray dropped to his knees next to them and rested a hand on Rogue's back as well.

"We won't let them hurt you," he said softly. Rogue buried himself further into Sting's embrace.

"Is he hurt?" Wendy asked, moving toward them. Sting glanced down but didn't see any visible injuries. He shook his head.

"I don't think so," he replied. "Just scared." He pressed a kiss to the top of Rogue's head and then rested his cheek there.

"What do we do?" Gray asked, and Sting realized he was pale, out of breath and clutching his side. It struck him that this was the first time that Gray had done more than make snowflakes since he was injured.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "But thank you." Gray smiled and knocked his forehead against Sting's. He slumped to the floor next to them, keeping his hand on Rogue's back.

"I can't hear what they're saying," Levy said, peering curiously at the ice. It wasn't one of Gray's finest pieces of magic – lumpy and discoloured – but it was holding the Rune Knights out and that was all that mattered. "I can't see anything, but sounds like Master is getting pretty angry with them. They're not leaving, though."

"What do they want with Rogue?" Wendy asked, sitting down near the boys. "The man said demon activity. But Rogue has been here since the dragon war. He couldn't be involved in anything like that." Sting sighed heavily, continuing to run his fingers through Rogue's hair.

"Rogue, love, look at me." He tried to tip Rogue's head back, but the dark-haired boy stubbornly refused to move his face from Sting's chest. "You're safe now, I won't let them take you. I promise." Rogue took a deep, shuddering breath, then turned up his tear-stained face. Sting's heart clenched – Rogue looked terrified. He realized that this was the first time since Rogue lost his hearing that he had been in danger, and hadn't been able to understand what was going on.

Gray brushed his fingers against Rogue's hand, touch feather-light, and gave Rogue a wide smile when he looked over at the ice mage.

 _We'll be safe now,_ he signed. _They'll have to get through an angry dragon slayer to get to us._ He gestured toward the ice wall, where they could see a vague outline of Gajeel's wild mane, as well as Pantherlily in his full form, giant sword resting casually on the ground next to him. Rogue smiled weakly.

 _Doing?_ Rogue tried to sign but his hands were shaking so badly that he gave up. "Want? Ankle...brush." He groaned in frustration and Sting stroked his back. Rogue took several deep breaths. "Glasses," he said finally. "Wants?"

 _Magic Council,_ Gray replied. _Looking for demon. Possessing wizards._ Rogue furrowed his eyebrows at the sign for "possession" - rather, the series of signs to convey the concept. _Demon inside_ , Gray tried.

Rogue tensed, then immediately looked down at the floor to where his shadow stretched under the light of the guild chandeliers. He prodded it hesitantly with his foot, then looked back to Gray.

"Gone," he said slowly. He reached up and trailed his fingertips over the still-healing scar on his face. "Quiet now, gone." Gray looked curiously at Sting, who shrugged his shoulders, mystified. "Sting said...dark. Eyes closed, and not-real things."

 _Dream?_ Gray guessed. Sometimes Rogue's mixed-up words were almost like clues to what he was actually trying to say.

"Dream!" Rogue turned to Sting, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Remember, you said dream. Not dream, stayed. But gone." Sting frowned, trying to decipher what Rogue … wait.

"The shadow?" Rogue nodded frantically. "Oh, fuck."

* * *

 _Sting stumbled into their shared room, breathing heavily and groaning softly in pain. He pushed the door shut behind him – no lock, Jiemma_ _would never let them have that security – and glanced around the dark room._

 _"Rogue?" He called softly, wincing in pain and holding his right side. Fuck, it hurt. A heavy boot had_ _definitely cracked something, and he could feel blood pooling in his mouth again. He coughed it up and wiped it away with his sleeve. "Rogue, where are you?" The room was pitch black – did Rogue block the window? Sting felt something brush against his ankle and he yelped, jumping backwards and then hissing in pain._

 _"Here." A soft, sad voice came from the far corner of the room, and Sting stumbled blindly towards it. He couldn't make out anything, but when he felt around, his hand brushed fabric. Rogue was pressed into the corner, knees up and face buried in his arms. "Don't touch me." His voice was barely a whisper, but Sting pulled back his hand immediately._

 _"Did she come again?" Sting asked, feeling sick. He tried to settle himself on the floor_ _next to Rogue, breathing heavily and wiping blood from his lips. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark and he could just barely see Rogue nodding. Sting could smell the salt from his tears, mixed with vomit and the scent of something hot and heavy that made him sick. Rogue hiccupped, a sob breaking out of his throat. "I'm so sorry."_

 _"_ _ **I could be stronger**_ _," Rogue whispered, and his voice sounded strange. Deeper, with a timbre that was difficult to pinpoint. The shadows around him trembled. "_ _ **I could kill her**_ _." Sting looked up in shock, frowning at Rogue's outline. "_ _ **I could let it out, let it wrap itself around her neck and choke her until bones crunch and she knows what it's like to not be able to breathe**_ _." His fingers brushed his neck absently, where Sting knew fingerprint-shaped bruises were likely forming._

 _"Rogue, what are you talking_ _about?" Sting tried reaching out for his friend again, but Rogue swatted his hand away and snarled. His red eyes looked frantic. "You're scaring me."_

 _"_ _ **She scares me**_ _," Rogue replied angrily, thrashing his head back and forth and reaching up to dig his fingers into his hair. "_ _ **I could show her a pretty sound, a snap when her neck breaks**_ _." A small laugh wormed its way out of his throat, and Sting shuddered._

 _"This isn't you," he insisted. The shadows around Rogue began to twist up Sting's arms and he gasped, trying to pull himself away. The black tendrils tightened around him and one slithered up his chest, winding its way around his throat. "Stop," he pleaded._

 _"_ _ **Why do you let him be WEAK**_ _?!" Rogue finally looked up at him, and his eyes were pinpricks of red floating in an ocean of black. His teeth were bared, and Sting could see blood on his incisors from biting his own arm. The voice coming from his throat was no longer recognizable as Rogue's. "_ _ **He could kill them ALL! He could save you both**_ _!" Sting gasped and raised both hands to grasp at the black tendril around his throat._

 _"Rogue...would never...kill someone," Sting choked out, feeling his vision going spotty. "He would ...never...forgive himself. He...won't...hurt me."_

 _"_ _ **Perhaps not**_ _," the voice in Rogue's body replied. "_ _ **But I will**_ _." The tendril squeezed harder and began to lift Sting off the ground, and he cried out in pain, scrabbling desperately against it._

 _"F-fuck," he panted. "I'm sorry, Rogue." His hands wrapped around the tendril and suddenly holy light exploded from them, burning away the shadow and causing Rogue to snarl and flinch back against the wall. Sting dropped back to the floor, panting, and pushed more of his magic outward, surrounding Rogue until the light was blinding._

 _"_ _ **He could be PERFECT**_ _!" Rogue began to shout, and Sting stumbled into him, clapping a hand over his mouth and looking at the door in fear. The magic flowing from his hand crept inside Rogue's mouth, drifting over his tongue until he choked on it._

 _"He already is_ _perfect," Sting hissed, pulling Rogue into his chest. He strained and pushed the light until it surrounded them both and the shadows were nothing more than wisps of darkness._

 _After a moment, Sting felt_ _Rogue trembling against his chest and tears soaking through his shirt. He sighed in relief and leaned forward, pressing his lips to Rogue's head._

 _"I'm so sorry," Rogue choked out, clinging to Sting's shirt and sobbing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."_ _The two boys dropped to their knees, Rogue practically in Sting's lap. "I'm sorry."_

 _"Shhhh," Sting whispered, stroking Rogue's back._ _He had to stay calm. He couldn't tell Rogue that he was panicking too. "It was just a bad dream. I'm okay."_

 _"It's inside m_ _-me," Rogue sobbed, clutching the front of Sting's shirt. "It keeps t-talking to m-me. T-t-telling me t-to hurt p-people." Sting ran his hand up and down his friend's back, making sure his magic kept flaring around them, pushing away the darkness._

 _"You're not going to hurt anyone," Sting murmured, pulling Rogue back so that he could look into the boy's eyes. Nothing there but the timid, sweet, k_ _ind-hearted boy that he loved._

 _"_ _I g-get so angry," Rogue confesse_ _d, voice shaky and sad. "And so sad. S-sometimes I j-just want to die." Sting sucked in a breath, then exhaled sharply, burying his nose in Rogue's hair._

 _"_ _I would miss you so much," he whispered, voice breaking as he ran his thumb over the bite mark on Rogue's forearm – one self-inflicted wound among many._

 _"_ _I know," Rogue_ _sobbed, throwing his arms around Sting. "That's why I stay."_

 _Sting sighed, struggling to his feet and then lifting Rogue onto the bed – an act that strained_ _his already aching side. Then he clambered in next to his friend, wrapping his arms around Rogue's waist and pressing their foreheads together. He flared his magic brighter, making a cocoon of holy light that kept the shadow at bay. He could still feel it, hissing and snarling, but Sting held Rogue tightly through night and refused to let it back in._

* * *

"You can't just barge into my guild and try to arrest someone for no reason!" Makarov had hopped up on a table and was glaring at Lahar, arms crossed over his chest.

"Actually, I can," Lahar replied, exasperated. "You can't just attack my knights because you don't like what they're doing!" He was trying to maintain his composure, but the way he pushed his glasses up on his nose said that he was failing miserably.

"Nobody has been attacked," Makarov challenged. "It's a barrier, not a weapon." The three Rune Knights still stood hesitantly by the ice wall, glancing uncomfortably at Gajeel and Pantherlily, who were leaning casually against it and glaring. Juvia stood nearby, glancing worriedly at the wall, while Cana twirled a card threateningly between her fingers.

"We're not going to hurt him," Lahar insisted, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"He doesn't know that," Mira countered, moving to stand behind Makarov. "He can't hear you, and has trouble understanding people when he gets worked up. If you had _asked_ , we could have told you that." Lahar sighed.

"I...didn't realize," he muttered finally, motioning for his knights to return to the group. They trudged over begrudgingly, keeping a wary eye on Gajeel. He grinned wickedly at them. "May we please speak to him?"

"You'll have to wait until he calms down," Mira replied coolly. Lahar nodded, then gestured for the rune knights to sit down a reasonable distance from the rest of the guild. He could feel the unfriendly glares they were receiving, and realized that this might not have been his brightest idea ever.

"Hey, ice boy." Gajeel knocked on the wall. "Open up." He heard a muffled reply from Sting that sounded unsurprisingly like _go fuck yourself._ Gajeel sighed. "They're standin' down. He said they ain't here to hurt him."

On the other side of the wall, Sting glared at Gajeel's outline, holding Rogue tightly in his arms. Doubt and fear were fighting for dominance in his mind. That thing had been a _demon_? He'd thought it had merely been a corruption of Rogue's innate powers, something that had disappeared after that night. Rogue had never spoken of it again.

He nudged Rogue until the dark-haired boy was looking at him.

 _That night,_ he signed, shifting so that he had both hands free. _It came back?_ Rogue exhaled forcefully, dropping his gaze to his forearm where he was rubbing the bite-shaped scar until it turned bright red. Sting pulled his hand away from the mark, then tipped Rogue's chin up towards him. _Did it come back?_

Rogue nodded, looking miserable. Tears were forming at the corners of his eyes, and Sting sighed, moving his hand into the dark hair and pulling Rogue's forehead to his.

"What's going on?" Wendy asked quietly, but Gray was busy focusing on the ice wall to answer her. He hadn't been using his magic much lately, and he could feel himself beginning to shake with fatigue.

"Always...inside," Rogue finally said, voice thick with tears. "Told it 'no'. Not hurt." Sting's chest tightened and he felt his cheeks grow damp. _You've been keeping it at bay all these years?_ He thought. "Was...golden? No. Strong. Like you." Rogue frowned, biting his lip in concentration. "Then...dragons. Fire and fire and fire." He paused again. This was the most any of them had heard him speak in a long time. "Dragon said m-m-me..."

"Shhh, it's okay." Sting could sense Rogue's agitation, and tried to calm it, running his fingers through the other boy's hair and kissing his forehead. "I found you, with the blue one. It told you something that freaked you out?" Rogue pulled back from Sting's embrace, squeezing his eyes shut and gesturing helplessly around him.

 _King._ His signs were so loose and choppy that only Sting could pick out what he was trying to say. _King and high, high like forest. No. Man, white and black..._

"Future you?" Sting pressed, running his hands up and down Rogue's thighs in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Rogue nodded. "But he's gone, remember? Did it leave, then?"

 _Gone,_ Rogue confirmed, touching his scar again. _Gone, gone, gone._ He looked pleadingly at Sting.

"Guys, I can't...keep this up..." Gray's face was ashen and his eyes rolled back in his head as he fainted backwards into Levy. Wendy rushed to his side, her healing magic spilling from her hands and over Gray's chest.

"Gray!" Rogue reached out to his friend, then flinched as the wall between them and the rest of the guild began to disintegrate. He was pulled roughly to his feet by Sting, who immediately placed himself in between the shadow dragon slayer and the Rune Knights.

" _Don't touch him_ ," Sting snarled, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. The knights already looked spooked by Gajeel and Pantherlily, who were still standing there, looking threatening. The rest of the guild remained in their seats, but a palpable tension filled the air.

"We just want to talk." Lahar strode past his knights, then came to a stop in front of Sting, who was baring his teeth at the man. Lahar ignored the silent threat. "You said he can't hear me." He looked curiously at Rogue, who appeared to tilt his head toward the man when he spoke.

"No, he can't," Sting growled. He felt like electricity was charging through him, like every hair on his body was crackling and standing on end, and everything in his body screamed _protect, protect, protect_. Rogue placed a gentle hand on Sting's shoulder and he jumped a bit, then slowly relaxed his defensive stance and turned to look at his partner.

Lahar watched curiously as the dark-haired boy's hands moved, brows furrowed and body closed off. Sting sighed and turned back to the group of knights.

"He says that the shadow is gone," Sting said begrudgingly. "It left during the battle. After we killed...future him." Lahar studied the two boys curiously. "And how do you even know about it, anyway?" Sting glared at him suspiciously.

Lahar opened his mouth to respond, but an ear-splitting _crack_ made him jump backwards instead. He flung his arm up to protect his eyes, but nothing further happened. Peering over to where he had just been standing, he could see a large, blonde man holding something tightly against his chest. And standing next to them was -

"Doranbolt?" His friend's head snapped up and he frowned at Lahar, then his eyes widened.

"Shit," he whispered, then disappeared in a circle of magic.

"Laxus!" Sting shouted, grabbing the large man's shoulder as he fell to his knees. "Wendy, he's bleeding!" Wendy dashed over to them, leaving a barely-conscious Gray in Levy's lap.

"Freed's hurt worse," Laxus argued, dropping to his knees. Rogue moved in front of Sting and reached out to take Freed's limp body from Laxus' arms, then froze with his hand on the green-haired man's shoulder.

"No," he whispered, horrified, and Sting saw a series of black patterns across Freed's body coalesce into one dark mark and speed toward Rogue's hand. "No, no, no, no..." Before Sting could reach over and grab his partner's wrist, the darkness had spread into Rogue's fingers and up his arm, causing him to seize up and throw his head back. He screamed in pain, then stumbled backwards, clutching his head.

"Rogue!" Sting cried, all thoughts of helping Laxus disappearing from his mind. He reached out for his friend, then froze as he saw dark, wispy tendrils emanating from Rogue's body. "Rogue, please." Rogue's screaming stopped abruptly, and he peered up at Sting through a curtain of dark hair. His eyes were black, and his teeth were bared.

" **I've missed you**."

* * *

 _A/N: Fun fact, in ASL there is no sign for "possessed" so you would likely sign something like "demon+inside+control+person"_


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: I've noticed that I've been writing Sting as cursing like a mofo which is just 100% how I talk. I'm a terrible influence._

 _**TW for mentions of child abuse**_

* * *

" **I've missed you**." Rogue spread his hands out, eyes fixed on Sting – eyes that were much darker than they should be. Black, patterned marks coiled up the shadow dragon slayer's arms, seeming to writhe and curl on his skin. A sadistic grin crossed Rogue's face and Sting shuddered, mind flashing back to _that_ night.

"Rogue, please," he whispered, holding his hands in front of him in a placating gesture. Behind him, Laxus and Wendy stared at Rogue, eyes wide. "Get out of here," Sting hissed.

" **Go ahead, I won't stop you.** " The voice was deep and gravelly and nothing like Rogue's, but it spilled from his mouth regardless. Laxus looked like he was about to argue, but Freed stirred in his arms and he thought better of it, backing away while keeping himself between Wendy and whatever was about to happen. " **I'm only interested in this body for now. And you**." He grinned at Sting.

"Rogue, I know you're in th-" Sting's plea was cut off by a tendril of shadow that snaked across the ground and wrapped itself around his neck faster than anyone could see. It pulled at him until he was standing on the tips of his toes, then dragged him towards Rogue.

" **What a shame** ," the thing-that-wasn't-Rogue said, looking down at his body with a disappointed expression. " **Rogue isn't here right now.** " Thick, dark tendrils were streaming out of him in every direction now, and the rest of the guild was backing away from them.

"Get...out..." Sting gasped at them, fingers prying at the shadowy noose around his neck. Lahar, stunned into silence up until now, took a step towards Sting. The coil tightened, and he gasped, feeling his face begin to turn red.

" **Tsk, tsk** ," Rogue murmured, pointing a finger at Lahar. " **You should have listened to him.** " He raised his hand and let loose a barrage of what looked like shadowy knives. They flew from his hand directly at Lahar's face, but before they could reach him, they struck an invisible barrier and dissipated. " **Clever** ," Rogue snarled.

"I'm sorry," Lahar called to Sting, whose vision was becoming blurred. He turned to the Rune Knights. "Get everyone out of here," he ordered. They all stood for a moment, staring dumbfounded at the shadows swirling up Lahar's runic barrier. "NOW!" His shout was enough to snap them from their reverie.

Suddenly, there was another loud bang, and Doranbolt reappeared right on top of Lahar, followed by Natsu and the unconscious bodies of Evergreen and Bickslow.

"What the-" Natsu stumbled to his feet and looked around, taking in the bizarre scene. The guild was frozen as if in a terrified tableau, a group of council goons in the hall, Rogue surrounded by shadows that were choking Sting... "Rogue, what's goi-"

"G...g...ray," Sting choked out. "Get…him out of h-here…"

"Gray!" Natsu darted over to where Levy was attempting to lift the ice mage, who was pale and shaking. "What the hell is going on?" Natsu slid his arms underneath Gray and lifted him easily, heart skipping as his partner's head sagged limply against hits chest. He followed Levy away from Rogue and Sting, and the three mages ducked behind a table.

" **Oh, you think those are your friends?** " The shadow murmured condescendingly, stepping towards Sting and loosening the tendrils just enough for the blond-haired boy to choke in a stuttered breath. Rogue drew his hand down Sting's cheek, smiling wickedly. " **They don't care about you. Nobody cares about you.** "

Natsu snarled, laying Gray gently on the ground and standing. He could see the Rune Knights trying to evacuate the rest of the guild, but they were all stubbornly refusing to leave. Lahar's rune barrier around the twin dragon slayers was keeping the shadows in, but everyone could hear what was being said.

"F-f-fuck you," Sting spat out, gasping for air. "You…aren't him."

" **Oh, but I am** ," Rogue replied, studying his hand idly. A tendril of shadow began to wisp from his fingertips, and he frowned. " **This body…this mind…they're broken.** " He looked puzzled, then reached up and fingered the scar that ran down his face.

"He's not…broken," Sting struggled, feeling a pressure at the back of his head that signaled he was going to lose consciousness soon.

" **Of course he is,** " the shadow replied dismissively. Then he looked deviously at Sting. " **But I could fix him.** "

"Oi, glasses! Lemme in!" Natsu's familiar voice broke through their conversation, and Sting's eyes widened. Rogue turned to the pink-haired dragon slayer and growled.

" **Come any closer and I'll kill him.** " Natsu met Rogue's gaze levelly, eyes widening when a dagger of shadows coalesced in the dark-haired boy's hand. Instead of pointing it at Sting, however, he held it to his own throat. Sting began to cry out, but one of the wisps curled around his neck began to wrap around his head, and gagged him instead. Another coiled around his body, pinning his arms to his sides.

"Rogue, c'mon. I know you're in there." Natsu's voice was soft and comforting, like it had been when Rogue had died and Sting had lost himself.

" **Of course he's in here,** " Rogue replied offhandedly. The dagger nicked his throat and a bead of red blood swelled there. " **He's screaming at me right now. Doesn't want me to hurt you.** " The last comment was directed at Sting, who made a muffled cry, tears running down his cheeks. " **I'm not certain what he sees in you, though,** " Rogue sighed, removing the dagger from his neck and twirling it casually in his hand. " **How he could love somebody so _weak_.**" Sting didn't reply, just dropped his gaze and tried not to choke on the tightness in his chest. " **He always cared for you. Waited for you. Even when you let that worthless bastard work you over.** "

"Rogue, stop." Natsu's voice was pleading. He could see the rest of the guild and the Rune Knights staring at the scene, listening to intimate parts of Sting and Rogue's life. Sting's eyes were downcast, but Natsu could see an embarrassed flush rising in his cheeks.

" **Oh?** " Rogue turned toward Natsu and grinned, baring his teeth. " **They don't know?** " Natsu's heart dropped and he took a step forward, but Rogue clicked his tongue and placed the dagger against his wrist. " **Maybe they should. Maybe they would think twice about letting this pathetic, scared little BOY into their ranks!** " Natsu shook his head, tears in his eyes, but Rogue ignored him. " **That's what you are, isn't it?** " Rogue turned back to Sting and raised his hand, laughing evilly at the flinch it elicited. " **How many nights did you come back, bloody and bruised with broken bones? How many times did he have to stitch you up, bandage you, save your life? How many times did that bastard BEAT you and you just TOOK it?** " Sting was full-on crying now, sobs muffled by the gag in his mouth.

"Please." Natsu looked up with surprise to see Gray standing beside him, pale and shaky but otherwise unharmed. "Please, stop."

" **How about we play a game instead?** " Rogue grinned. " **This body – and this mind – are clearly broken.** " He gestured to his own head. " **I can fix him, restore him to what he was and remain inside him. Or…** " He paused and turned to look at Sting. Then he pressed the dagger down slightly into his skin, letting the blood well up around the shadowy blade. " **Or I can kill him, and take you instead.** "

"No!" Natsu held Gray back, only succeeding because he was so weakened from his ice wall.

Sting struggled against the bonds around him and sucked in a deep breath when the shadows in his mouth disappeared. Rogue leaned forward and grasped his chin, forcing Sting to look into his eyes.

" **So?** " Rogue gazed at him coolly. " **How about it?** " From the corner of his eye, Sting could see Natsu signing something to him, but he refused to look. There was only one way out of this. He swallowed thickly and met Rogue's gaze.

"How about you go fuck yourself?" He snarled, then head butted Rogue as hard as he could. The dark-haired boy yelped in shock, dropping the dagger and stumbling backwards. The momentary lapse in Rogue's concentration was enough for Sting to break free of the shadow bonds, then leap forward and land on his partner, pinning him to the ground with an arm over his throat. He knelt on the other boy's hands, causing Rogue to cry out in pain.

"I'm sorry, Rogue," he whispered as his magic began to flare up around him. He slammed his palm into his friend's chest, branding his holy stigma there which burned through Rogue's clothing and onto his skin. White light flared up around him, burning through the shadows and forcing the markings from Rogue's arms.

" **What are you DOING?** " The shadow screamed from Rogue's body, struggling against the stigma which rendered him unable to move. Sting felt sick – he knew that being in this position was one of Rogue's worst fears, but this was the only way he could keep control of the demon. " **Let me fix him! Let me make him strong again!** "

"Shut UP!" Sting roared, placing his palm on the side of Rogue's face and forcing the holy light out through his fingertips. "I told you then and I'll tell you again – Rogue is PERFECT! Do you hear me?" He grunted, pulsing wave after wave of magic into Rogue's body, focusing on destroying the darkness inside of him. "He's not broken and he's not weak! He's the strongest fucking person I know!"

" **He…can't even…speak,** " The demon argued, snarling and pushing back against Sting's light. He may not have been able to move, but he could still control his shadows. He wound them around Sting's arms, forcing as much magic into them as possible until they were burning his skin.

"He doesn't _have_ to speak," Sting snarled, gritting his teeth against the pain of his blistering skin. "I know exactly what he needs to say." He shuddered, starting to feel dizzy and lightheaded. _Shit_ , he thought. _I'm running out of magic._ "He has endured so much, and I love him." A small part of his mind felt embarrassed, knowing that everyone in the guild hall was watching this encounter. "I love every single fucking thing about him."

"We all love him." A familiar voice from behind him – Gray. Then he felt two hands on his shoulders – one icy cold, one burning hot. "And you can go back to hell." Then Sting felt a surge of energy moving through Natsu and Gray and into his body. It sent a flush right to his face, and his arms began to tingle. _Holy shit,_ he thought. _This power is…incredible_. He felt the bright crackle of fire intermingling with the sharp edges of ice, and he wove that into his own magic.

" **What do you think you—** " Sting reached up and clapped a hand over Rogue's mouth, remembering that night so many years ago when he had scared off the demon this way. Rogue snarled and bit him, but he kept his hand in place, letting the blood drip down onto the floor.

The power continued to flow through him, and suddenly he felt more – lightning and water and so many different kinds of magic that he couldn't identify. He cried out, feeling it lance through his body like wildfire, arcing into his own magic and tinging the edges of the holy light with a million different colors. Rogue screamed underneath him, unable to shake off the stigma holding him in place, and Sting's face was wet with tears.

The light pulsed, growing and growing until Sting was certain it was filling the entire guild hall. The shadows around his arms burned away into nothing more than wisps, and he could feel Rogue going limp underneath him. He gazed into his partner's eyes, willing them to return to normal, and he could swear that something in there recognized him.

There was a final, blinding flash, and Sting sagged forward, removing his hand from Rogue's mouth. He gasped, pulling in a sharp breath, then rocked back onto his heels and looked down to see…Rogue. Just Rogue. No darkness, no patterns up his arms, just terrified, tear-filled eyes and a shaking chest and trembling hands.

"Rogue," Sting gasped, dismissing the stigma and leaning forward, pulling Rogue into his chest. "It's okay, love. It's over. The demon is gone, it's okay. You're safe." He sobbed into Rogue's hair, stroking it frantically with shaking hands.

"Sorry," Rogue wept into his chest. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." Sting shook his head, tipping Rogue's head back and pressing frantic kisses to his face.

"No sorry," he sobbed. "Not your fault."

He felt a tentative hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Natsu, pale and shaky. Sting leaned towards him and Natsu dropped to his knees, reaching out and putting his arms around both boys. Gray joined them on the other side, and they formed a protective cocoon around the twin dragon slayers.

"What the hell just happened?" Lahar's voice was incredulous. The Rune Knights were still standing in shock, some mildly singed by the explosion of magic power, eyes wide and dazed.

The entirety of the Fairy Tail guild was gathered on one side of the room, all shaky and pale, but smiling and hugging each other. Master Makarov was still on one of the tables, wiping tears from his eyes and gazing proudly at his children.

"Did they just—" Lahar's question trailed off into a bewildered silence.

"Yes, they just defeated a demon," Makarov replied, crossing his arms and looking coolly at the Rune Knight captain. "And I believe that closes your investigation, if I'm not mistaken?" Lahar blinked a few times, gazing over at the four boys holding each other in the centre of the chaos.

"He…there was…" Makarov cut him off with a dismissive wave.

"That boy is nothing short of incredible." He glared at Lahar. "If you attempt to enter my guild again without my permission, or try to harm one of my children, you yourself will face the true wrath of Fairy Tail."

"I think it's time we returned to the Council, Lahar." The bespectacled man turned to see Doranbolt standing behind him, arms crossed and an unreadable smile on his face.

"Yes…I…" Lahar trailed off, not noticing when Doranbolt gently touched the back of his head. His eyes went blank for a moment, as did the rest of the Rune Knights. Makarov looked at Doranbolt, amusement glittering in his eyes.

"Captain, what happened, sir?" One of the knights turned to Lahar, confused. He opened his mouth to reply, but Doranbolt cut him off.

"Captain Lahar took a blow to the head, but he'll be just fine." Lahar turned to him, confused. "We were fighting the demon, remember? It came to Fairy Tail, and the guild helped us defeat it."

"Y-yes…" Lahar said tentatively, then began nodding as the false memories locked themselves in place. "I believe the Magic Council owes you all a great debt of gratitude." He turned to his knights and motioned for them to exit the guild hall. "Master Makarov, thank you for your assistance." The tiny guild master harrumphed, then gave Doranbolt a nod of appreciation as he followed Lahar from the building.

Sting didn't even notice the Rune Knights leaving. He could feel his arms blistering and bleeding, and the cut on the back of Rogue's hand looked deep, but he couldn't bring himself to stand or speak. He noticed with detachment that his fingers were starting to go numb.

"Hey, you're safe now." A faint voice broke through his tears, and he recognized it as Natsu. Why was he being comforted? Rogue was the one who needed to be helped. He looked up and realized that Rogue was gazing at him with a look of concern on his face, but he wasn't crying anymore. Sting's chest heaved and he realized _he_ was still crying. They were ugly tears, sharp and hard and spilling down his cheeks and onto the floor. His chest heaved with sobs, and he knew the entire guild could hear him but couldn't bring himself to care.

"Sting, look at me." Natsu tilted his chin up gently and he met the dragon slayer's eyes, but found it difficult to focus. His hands were entirely numb now, and his heart was racing so hard he thought he might stop breathing. "Take a deep breath, like this." Natsu's voice was echoey, like it was coming through a tunnel. Why did everything feel so far away? He focused on the rise and fall of Natsu's chest, trying to calm the panic in his body.

"It's okay," Gray murmured into Rogue's ear, holding the trembling boy as he watched Sting fall apart. "He'll be okay. It's not your fault." Rogue sniffed and wiped his eyes, wanting to reach out to his partner but unsure if it was a good idea. He saw Wendy approaching cautiously, and felt relief flood through him when she knelt next to Sting, placing a gentle hand on his forehead.

"Sleep, Sting," she whispered softly, and Natsu caught the blonde boy as he slumped toward the floor.

"It's over," Natsu whispered, more to himself than anything. Tears were spilling down his own cheeks, and he looked at Gray and Rogue with a combination of exhaustion and relief on his face. "It's over."

* * *

 _A/N: Can you tell I'm a sucker for the Buffy-esque "power sharing" concept? I really think it's important, because the whole superhero, typical-masculinity thing is to give one person ALL the power to fix everything. But why not SHARE that power, and help each other?_

 _Poor Sting, his PTSD is awful. I know they were getting better, but honestly, life isn't like that. It's not like - oh, I have great friends now and they support me so I'm fixed. Recovering from abuse/sexual abuse/trauma is a long and difficult road and I wanted to portray it honestly._

 _On an unrelated note, I realized when writing this that Mest/Doranbolt is ridiculously OP. He can teleport AND alter memories? It's a good thing he's not evil._


	12. Chapter 12

"I know you're awake."

Sting sighed and opened his eyes, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. From the itchy blanket covering him, he guessed he was in the guild infirmary. Freed sat in the chair next to his bed, and Sting frowned at him.

"I sent Rogue home this morning," Freed explained, absently picking at a bandage on his forearm. "Laxus had to practically carry him away, but he hadn't slept in two days, so I felt it was necessary."

"Two days?" Sting meant to sound incredulous, but his voice came out as little more than a whisper. His hand moved to his throat, wincing as he felt the raised, bruised skin. His hand began to tremble as he recalled the reason he was here.

 _A tendril of shadow snaked across the ground and wrapped it around his neck faster than anyone could see. It pulled at him until he was standing on the tips of his toes, then dragged him toward Rogue._

He shuddered, pushing himself up into a sitting position. Everything hurt. His arms were burning, and he realized they were wrapped from wrist to elbow. His left hand was also bandaged, and he could feel the sharp puncture wounds underneath where Rogue had bit him.

 _The shadows curled around Sting's arms, filling with magic and burning into his skin._

"Yes, you've slept for quite some time," Freed replied. Sting realized that the green-haired man looked exhausted as well – dark circles under his eyes and pale skin.

"It was… _in_ you." Sting whispered, frowning. He coughed, wincing at the sharp pain. It felt like he had swallowed broken glass.

"Don't talk," Freed said, handing Sting a glass of water, which he drank gratefully. "Yes, we encountered the demon in the desert. I managed to trap it, for a while at least. I didn't realize it would move to Rogue so easily." He looked downcast. "I'm sorry."

 _It's not your fault_ , Sting replied automatically. _Did…it hurt you?_ Freed nodded, gesturing to the bandage on his arm.

"A little. It was using me as a host," he admitted, shuddering. "If Natsu and the others hadn't found us when they did, it might have killed me." His words were matter-of-fact, but Sting could see discomfort written clearly on the rune mage's face. "I didn't see your fight with it, but Laxus assured me it was quite impressive. High praise, coming from him."

Sting dropped his gaze to the blanket and dug his fingernails into his palms, catching a heavy lump as it rammed into the back of his throat. _Impressive isn't the word I would use_ , he signed, hands still trembling slightly. _I nearly killed Rogue_. He growled in frustration, pushing himself up out of the bed and nearly tumbling to the ground. Freed grabbed his arm to support him, but Sting yanked it away and stubbornly stood on his own, swaying unsteadily.

"It was a sadistic creature," Freed said, unruffled by Sting's aggressive behaviour. "It also wanted me to harm someone I care about. I'm sorry it came to that for you."

Sting squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold in the tears he knew were waiting to spill out.

"It's alright to cr—"

"I KNOW!" Sting shouted, immediately regretting the outburst when he broke into a coughing fit and saw blood spotting the back of his hand when he covered his mouth. "Fucking…shit, fuck, fucking, fuck, shit, fuck…" He snarled, snatching the water from Freed's hand again and swallowing the whole glass in one gulp, trying to ignore the stinging.

 _I'm fucking sick of crying_. He slumped back onto the bed and brought his legs up underneath him, refusing to meet Freed's gaze. _I feel like that's all I do. Rogue was fucking possessed by the demon he spent years fighting, and **I'm** the one losing my shit._ He dropped his head into his hands and sighed.

"From what Laxus described, that whole incident was very emotionally charged," Freed replied gently. "And I'm certain it didn't help that the entire guild was witnessing it." Sting groaned into his hands, ears going hot with embarrassment.

 _Sting's chest heaved and he realized he was still crying. They were ugly tears, sharp and hard and spilling down his cheeks and onto the floor. His body shook with sobs, and he knew the entire guild could hear him but couldn't bring himself to care._

He cared now. He felt his pulse increasing again, and bit his tongue, focusing on the pain and blood in his mouth instead of the impending panic attack. He would not freak out again. Not in front of anyone.

 _Whatever_. He ran his hands through his hair, still refusing to look at Freed. _Everybody's got shit._ He heard Freed sigh.

"I understand the desire to minimize what happened to you." Sting stiffened.

 _Could we please not talk about…that? Any of it?_ His arms were aching under the bandages. _I just wanna…_ He trailed off. What did he want? Part of him wanted to go back to sleep, while the other part wanted to find Rogue and never let him go. A final, tiny part was terrified of seeing his partner.

"If you don't talk about it, it's going to fester," Freed replied. "You've been on the edge of breaking down completely since the games, haven't you?"

Sting didn't reply, just stared numbly ahead of him. That wasn't true. He had been on the verge of breaking down completely since he was twelve years old. Always feeling that buzz in the back of his mind, that persistent anxiety that kept saying _don't fuck up, don't fuck up, you fucked up, you're worthless, you deserve this, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, you should die, just kill yourself already, you don't deserve to be alive._

A slight tingle of cold on the back of his hands was enough to snap him out of his reverie, and he realized with horror that he was whispering those things out loud. Gray was sitting on the bed in front of him now – when had he arrived? – and was pushing a thin layer of frost over the backs of Sting's hands and up his arms. His mind flashed back to a few days ago, where Gray had used the same thing on Rogue.

"Hey." Sting looked into Gray's eyes, fearing the disappointment and disgust he would see there, but his gaze instead held an emotion that Sting struggled to pinpoint. Sting licked his lips nervously, glancing over to Freed, who was still sitting in the chair with a neutral expression on his face. Something clicked in Sting's mind and he frowned.

 _You're here to make sure I don't kill myself._ His signs were sharp and angry, and Freed didn't deny his accusation. _Everyone saw me lose it, and now you're all worried I'm gonna off myself._ He squeezed his eyes shut and ran his hand over his face.

"Is my presence here unwarranted?" Freed asked quietly. Sting didn't reply, couldn't promise that if he had woken up alone, he wouldn't have found the first sharp thing and ended it. His brain screamed at him, _how could you do that to Rogue_ , but another part screamed back, _he would be better off without me_.

"I just feel so fucked up," Sting whispered finally, and when Gray reached out tentatively for him, he surprised the ice mage by slumping forward and pressing his face to Gray's shoulder. "I feel like I can't function. It's just too much, it's all so loud and angry." Gray wrapped his arms around Sting gently and rested his chin on the blonde hair, running a hand comfortingly up Sting's back.

"I know," he replied. "When…when Deliora attacked my village, I felt so much guilt for surviving. I saw my parents – I saw them die, and there was so much blood." His voice wavered, and Sting squeezed his knee. "When Ur found me, I had nightmares that would freeze the whole house – I lost control of my magic. I felt like all I could do was cry and feel guilt."

 _We're all a little broken._

"Then Ur died too, and it was like…everything inside died with her." Sting rubbed his thumb over Gray's knuckles comfortingly. "I…well, I know Natsu knows, but I haven't told anyone else. I wanted to die." Something in Sting's chest clenched painfully. "I spent ten years basically just…waiting. I was too much of a coward to do it myself, but if something killed me, that would be fine. When that chance came, I was so…eager. I felt like I could finally atone for my sins and stop existing at the same time."

 _We're all a little broken_.

Gray sighed, grasping Sting's shoulders with both hands and pushing him away enough to force him to make eye contact.

"Natsu didn't save me," he said finally, and Sting frowned. "Nobody else can save you. Rogue can't save you, I can't…nobody can." Sting's chest tightened. "It took a long time even after that for me to feel like I wanted to be alive. It's not something that's fixed overnight. You'll get better, you'll get worse, you'll have great days and days where you still want to die. It won't necessarily get better, but it'll get easier to live with."

 _We're all a little broken_.

"That sounds exhausting," Sting mumbled, eyes downcast.

"It is if you're alone," Gray replied. "And you aren't. You ready to go home?"

* * *

"STING!" A familiar red ball of fur barrelled down the path and leapt into Sting's arms, burying its head into his chest.

"Lector," he whispered, pressing his face into the soft fur and clutching the tiny Exceed tightly. "Lector, are you alright?"

"I'm sorry." Sting felt tears dampen the front of his shirt and he looked down at Lector, puzzled.

"You don't have anything to apologize for." Sting stroked Lector's head gently, rubbing behind his ears and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"I wasn't t-there to h-help you," Lector sniffled miserably, wiping his face with a paw. "We went f-fishing with H-Happy cause he was sad that N-natsu was gone." The Exceed looked up at Sting and his heart melted.

"Lector, I'm glad you weren't there," he murmured. Before Lector could become indignant, he added, "I couldn't bear the idea of you getting hurt."

"But you got hurt." Lector looked up at the angry purple and black welts winding around Sting's neck. "Did Rogue really do that?" Sting shook his head vehemently, wincing at the pain.

"The demon did," he replied, voice still scratchy. "Rogue wasn't in control."

"Rogue is sad." Sting glanced over to Gray, who had been walking beside him, and realized that the ice mage had scooped up Frosch and was cuddling them. Gray seemed quite taken with the little Exceed. "Rogue loves Sting." Sting smiled, reaching out to pat their head.

"And Sting loves Rogue," he murmured, not even caring if Gray heard him. "It wasn't his fault."

They were nearing the house now, and Sting could see a flash of Natsu's pink hair from the garden, and could hear him arguing boisterously with someone. As they turned the corner, Sting could see that Erza and Lucy were out there as well, sprawled out on the couches and drinking what appeared to be lemonade.

Sting hesitated for a moment, conscious of the bruises on his neck and his likely dishevelled look, but Gray bumped his shoulder and pushed him around the corner.

"Sting!" Natsu saw them round the corner and jumped up, making his way over and spreading his arms with a questioning look on his face. Sting felt something in his chest soften at the gesture, and he nodded, setting Lector down and letting Natsu embrace him. He buried his face in the fire mage's scarf, reaching around to grip Natsu tightly.

"You're okay," Natsu whispered, and Sting wasn't sure if it was a statement or a reassurance. "We were so worried." A strong hand gripped the back of his head as Natsu pressed his face into Sting's shoulder. Sting didn't trust his voice, so he nodded into Natsu's chest instead and took a shaky breath.

After a moment, Natsu gave Sting a final squeeze, then raised his head and pressed a soft, quick kiss to the top of Sting's head.

"You're home now, and everything's okay." Natsu grinned at him, then inclined his head toward Erza and Lucy. "They just stopped by with some food – apparently it's a thing to bring people food during – what did they say again, Gray?"

"During 'times of duress'," Gray replied, smirking. Natsu rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that. Anyway, don't feel like you gotta socialize if you don't wanna." Sting smiled, grateful. Natsu must have seen him peering into the house, because he added, "Rogue's in your room. He's been sleeping a lot." He squeezed Sting's hand again and lowered his voice. "You're both gonna be okay."

Sting nodded, returning the gesture, then waved at Erza and Lucy and quickly ducked into the house.

"They _are_ gonna be okay, right?" Natsu said worriedly, grabbing Gray's hand and pulling his boyfriend closer. He rested his head on Gray's collarbone, and pulled the ice mage's arms around him. Gray laughed, and his breath tickled Natsu's ear.

"As okay as any of us are," he replied.

* * *

Sting didn't bother knocking on the bedroom door – Rogue likely wouldn't have heard it anyway – and slipped into the room. The curtains were open, letting the afternoon sun spill onto Rogue's sleeping face, which was pillowed in his arms. The dark-haired boy was curled up on one side, and had unconsciously pulled one of the pillows toward his stomach and was now hugging it as if it were Sting.

Sting sat down gently on the edge of the bed, not wanting to wake his partner. Snippets of conversation and a cool breeze blew in from outside, and he let everything wash over him, trying to cement this moment in his mind for later. The curve of Rogue's hip, the way his fingers clutched the pillow so tightly, his foot poking out from under the blanket. Sting shuffled until he was lying parallel to Rogue, and took in the scar across his nose, the wayward wisps of dark hair that were falling across his cheek, the soft sound of his breathing.

"Hey." Sting blinked in surprise and realized that Rogue's eyes were open. He propped himself up on one elbow, reaching out and brushing the hair from Rogue's face.

"You feeling okay?" Rogue gave a noncommittal shrug, then shifted until his position matched Sting's and they were facing each other. His face looked contrite, and Sting ran his hand down Rogue's jaw until he could tip the dark-haired boy's face toward him. "It wasn't your fault." Rogue sighed.

"Know that," he said softly. "Could...see him. Hurt you." He scrubbed a hand across his eyes, then stared directly at Sting. "You...saved me." His eyes travelled down to the bruising around Sting's neck, and his fingers drifted toward it, stopping when Sting flinched at the contact.

"It's still really sore," he admitted. Rogue's face fell, and he shook his head. "Not your fault. It was the demon." He paused for a moment, and could see that Rogue knew what was coming next. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Scared," Rogue admitted, looking down and running his fingers over the bite-mark shaped scar on his wrist. "Didn't want...hurt you. Anyone." He worried his lower lip between his teeth.

"You never did," Sting replied, smiling gently. "You were so strong and so brave." Rogue let out a sharp breath, looking down uncertainly. "There's so many things I could tell you," Sting continued, wrapping his fingers around Rogue's wrist. "But I'm going to show you instead." Rogue blinked up at him, and Sting pressed the other boy's arm back into the bed until he was lying flat on his back. Then he hesitated. "Okay?" He asked. Rogue thought for a moment, then shook his head, frustrated. "It's okay, love."

Sting rolled over and leaned against the headboard, then pulled Rogue gently towards him, nudging his leg until the dark-haired boy swung it over Sting and straddled his hips. Sting reached up and ran his fingers through Rogue's hair, then grasped Rogue's left hand and brought it to his lips.

The scar was red from Rogue rubbing it, and Sting ran his tongue gently over the mark, teasing a sharp hiss from Rogue. Sting smiled, then pressed a soft, gentle kiss to the area before moving on to the next silvery-white mark. His lips brushed over it and Rogue inhaled sharply.

"I meant what I said," Sting murmured, moving up Rogue's arm and pressing feather-light kisses to each scar. Rogue was trembling now, and he looked at Sting with a strange reverence in his gaze. "You're perfect." A stuttered breath that almost sounded like a moan. "And I love every-" _kiss_ "-single-" _kiss_ "-fucking-" _kiss_ "-thing-" _kiss_ "-about-" _kiss_ "-you."

Rogue shuddered, falling forward on his forearms and pressing his forehead to Sting's. He felt Sting's hand run up his cheek and coax his face downward until their lips met.

It was soft and tentative – even more so than their first kiss during the Grand Magic Games. It was chaste and tender and if Rogue hadn't already been sitting, it would have brought him to his knees. He made a soft, almost imperceptible sound of pleasure into Sting's mouth, and Sting took the opportunity to grab Rogue's lower lip between his teeth and bite it oh so gently.

"I love you," Sting whispered against Rogue's lips, kissing him more deeply now – slowly and languidly, while running his hands over Rogue's face and through his hair. "I love you, I love you, I love you." Rogue's hands curled into Sting's shirt as he moaned against his partner, pulling him tighter as he felt a heat spread through his body.

"Love you too," he whispered, running his fingers down to the hem of Sting's shirt and tugging at it questioningly. Sting raised his arms in response, allowing Rogue to slip the garment off his body and then returning the favor. Rogue exhaled sharply at the feel of Sting's chest against his own, and he pressed the blonde boy backward into the pillows, settling himself between Sting's legs. He began pressing soft kisses down Sting's jawline and earning himself a soft gasp of pleasure when he licked the sensitive spot behind Sting's ear.

Rogue swallowed thickly as he trailed the kisses lower, down over Sting's collarbone and then down to his nipple, which Rogue swirled under his tongue. Sting groaned and pressed his head back into the pillows, fisting his hand into Rogue's hair. Rogue grinned and moved to the other side, repeating the tongue flick and causing Sting to arch off the bed slightly. Rogue could feel Sting's hardness pressing into his own and he rocked against it experimentally.

" _Fuuuuuck,_ " Sting whispered, tightening his fingers in Rogue's hair to show his approval. Rogue hummed and returned his lips to Sting's chest, kissing further and further downward until his lips touched the prominent hip bone and Sting cried out loud enough for Rogue to hear. He hesitated, glancing up at Sting, whose face was open and flushed.

 _Whatever you're comfortable with_ , Sting signed, sloppily and with one hand, but Rogue understood him. Rogue bit his lip, torn between continuing the downward (and preferably pants-less) trajectory of his ministrations, and not opening that particular box of emotions right now. After a moment he decided on the latter, crawling back toward Sting and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"Sorry," he murmured, nuzzling Sting's cheek and pressing his face into the crook of the blonde boy's shoulder. His face flamed with embarrassment.

"Never be sorry," Sting replied, pressing a kiss to Rogue's hair. "I never want you to be uncomfortable." Rogue nodded, then reached downward and grasped the blanket, pulling it over them both. Sting shuffled until he was facing Rogue, whose head was pillowed on his arm.

"We have all the time in the world," he whispered, then pressed a kiss to Rogue's nose and promptly fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

"If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will incinerate you, then find a way to resurrect your corpse and murder it again." Laxus' words held threat, but his tone was serene. Sting also found it difficult to take the man seriously in this position. Laxus sat cross-legged, with his hands resting palm-up on each knee. He was facing the river but his eyes were closed, his face tipped up toward the sun.

"I…wont?" Sting said shyly. Laxus grunted, then ducked his head, indicating the ground next to him. Sting shuffled awkwardly over to him, then flopped to the ground and attempted to copy the larger man's stance.

"Relax," Laxus rumbled, and Sting flinched. "Find where you're comfortable. Take deep breaths." The younger dragon slayer inhaled sharply, then blew out his breath and wriggled into a more comfortable position. He sat there for several moments, one eye half-open.

"What are w-"

"Meditating," Laxus replied, voice softer than Sting had ever heard it. "Just breathe. Try to…be present. Think about where you are now." Sting frowned at Laxus' uncharacteristic openness, but closed his eyes and tried to follow the instructions. He could feel the grass brushing his bare feet and the sun spreading warmth across his face; hear the river flowing and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees. He breathed deeply, feeling the tense muscles in his shoulders loosen.

 _This is nice_ , he thought. His mind felt free and it began to wander, picking its way through the difficulties of the recent weeks but not delving into them. His thoughts skipped to Rogue, the crooked half-smile he gave when he wasn't sure what was going on, the way he cocked his head now to listen to someone speaking, his oddly endearing new patterns of speech.

 _What do you think you're doing?_ A gruff voice echoed in the back of his mind and Sting felt the breath rush out of him like he had been punched in the stomach. _I don't keep you around so you can moon over some weakling._ Jiemma's voice, then. Sting remembered this conversation. It had been several months after Rogue joined the guild, and Sting had been watching him train with Orga. Rogue's movements had been so fluid, so graceful, that Sting hadn't been able to do anything but stare at the other boy. A heavy fist to the side of his face had been the price to pay for those moments of bliss. _Keep that up and you'll be looking at his bruised face, boy._ Sting flinched. _He's not yours, he's mine. And so are you_. Another fist followed, then a knee to the stomach, and Rogue had given him a pleading look but Sting had shaken his head oh so slightly and taken the beating.

"You're not present." Laxus' voice echoed in Sting's skull, and he took a shuddering breath. "Let go of those memories."

 _Blood. Bruises. Split lips and broken bones. Coming back to Rogue; beautiful Rogue; innocent, sweet Rogue who kissed his face and bandaged his wounds and held him through the night, whispering sorry, sorry, sorry in his ear._

"What can you feel, remember?" Laxus' voice again, jolting him out of the memory and into the present.

"Um…grass on my feet. It tickles." He tried to focus on the sensation, but the pounding in his ears wouldn't let up. _Worthless. Useless._

"Good. What else?"

"Th-the sun. It's warm on my face and my hands." The heat prickled his skin and he slowly began to breathe easier. "The wind. It's making the leaves rustle." He took another deep breath, then opened his eyes. His hands were trembling, and he tucked them under his legs. "I don't think I'm ready for this," he admitted softly.

Laxus was silent for a moment, then folded his own hands and opened his eyes, turning to gaze at Sting.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you," Sting said meekly. He bowed his head. "I just…I wanted to apologize. For punching you." Laxus let out a laugh.

"Apology accepted," he said, turning so that he was facing Sting. "I get it."

"You – you do?" Sting peeked up and met Laxus' gaze. The man was staring at him pensively.

"Look, I don't talk about this shit, except to…well, Freed. And even then, rarely." Sting nodded, pulling his knees to his chest and tucking his chin behind them. "My old man was – well, I think you know what it's like. He was pretty terrible, but I thought the world of him. Even got mad at Gramps for excommunicating him." Sting nodded, feeling a strange sense of kinship.

"I…sometimes…" he trailed off a bit, struggling to put it into words. "I hate him. But I didn't have anyone else. And…I felt like he saw something in me that nobody else did." Laxus didn't speak, just gazed at Sting and waited for him to finish. "There's this…feeling, sometimes, when people say how horrible he was, and its just for like, a split second, that I want to defend him. Say he was doing it to make me stronger." He cringed at his own words. "And then I think about Rogue, and how he would threaten him, and how he beat his own daughter, who then did horrible things to Rogue, and I just feel…so…" He waved his hand in the air, frustrated.

"I…I feel like I need it," he admitted. "That's why I, y'know, attacked you." He blushed furiously, but Laxus merely nodded.

"Does talking about it help?"

"Sometimes," Sting admitted. "Other times not so much. I just want to…destroy something."

There was a pause for several moments. Sting still felt the hot prickling at the base of his skull.

"You can come here," Laxus offered, finally. "I do this, in the mornings. Helps me focus. I can teach you, when you're ready." Sting looked up at him, hopeful. "We can spar, if you want, but I'm not gonna beat you." Laxus' face was stern.

"Th-thank you," Sting said softly, smiling up at the older man.

"Don't mention it," Laxus replied. His face changed and he glared at Sting. "Seriously, don't mention it. Or I really will do the whole death, resurrection and death again thing." Sting laughed.

"My lips are sealed," he said, then turned his face up toward the sun.

* * *

Sting could hear the music before he turned the corner toward the house. It was a cautious melody, clearly played by someone inexperienced, but it sounded beautiful. When he turned the corner and peeked into the garden, he was surprised to see Rogue, sitting in one of the chairs with a violin propped under his chin. He was watching Freed, who had moved toward him and was adjusting his hands on the instrument.

 _Not too tightly,_ Freed signed, and Sting's heart still skipped seeing other people using their secret language. Freed and Levy had of course picked it up easily, and seeing Rogue communicating with the rest of the guild made Sting's heart happy. _Softly_ , Freed motioned. _Try again._

The haunting melody filled the air again, and the sound was crisper this time. Sting realized that the instrument was right below Rogue's good ear, and that he could hear the music clearly. The wide smile on the dark-haired boy's face filled Sting with joy.

 _Beautiful_ , Freed signed, smiling at Rogue and then waving to Sting as he stepped into the garden. _Do you like the music, Sting?_

Freed was one of the few guild members who felt comfortable signing to both Sting and Rogue without adding his voice. Sting knew it meant so much to Rogue, being able to communicate and be included in the conversation without feeling left out. Freed had also come up with the idea of giving each guild member a sign for their name, instead of spelling it out each time. Rogue's name was a finger across the nose, right where his scar was. Sting's was a tug on the ear where he wore his earring. Laxus was a line over the eye, tracing his lightning scar, and Freed's was a tap on the hip where his rapier always hung.

 _I love it,_ Sting replied, reaching out and pulling Rogue into a sideways hug. _You learned that today?_

 _Few days,_ Rogue replied. _Freed sails._ He waved his hand, dismissing the error easily. _Helps. Helps play._

 _I didn't know you were a musician._ Sting looked up at Freed, who had taken the violin from Rogue and was placing it reverently back in its case. _I've never heard you play._

 _I am a man of many mysterious talents,_ Freed replied, raising his eyebrow and making Rogue laugh. _How did it go with Laxus?_ Sting felt his cheeks turning pink.

 _Good, I think. He didn't try to kill me so that's a good thing, right?_ Freed rolled his eyes. _He said I could come…meditate with him._

Rogue tugged on his sleeve and repeated the sign for "meditate" with a puzzled expression on his face.

 _Relax_ , explained Sting. He closed his eyes and put his hands out, palm up, and mimicked the activity. Rogue looked confused for a moment, then smiled and nodded his head.

 _I'm glad it went well,_ Freed signed. _He has difficulty…being open. He acts like a jerk, but I think he really appreciates bonding with you._

 _He did threaten to incinerate me at one point,_ Sting signed offhandedly, and Rogue laughed. Sting smiled, placing a kiss to the top of Rogue's head. Every day he seemed to be getting better – understanding more words, more complex sentences. He even spoke more clearly, although he still mixed up words here and there.

Their physical scars were still there, of course. Sting's neck was still bruised, although not nearly as badly as before. The burns on his arms were healing, but it was clear that he would bear that strange twisting pattern on his skin for the rest of his life. Rogue still looked ashamed every time he saw them, so Sting had taken to wearing his gloves again to hide them.

 _Where's Natsu and Gray?_ Sting asked, glancing into the house. _Did they come back from their mission yet?_ Rogue shook his head. The two boys had received a mission request specifically for them, so of course most of the guild had tagged along. They had been both relieved and exasperated to find that Natsu and Gray's romantic relationship had absolutely no influence on their bickering and random fist fights, although Sting could have sworn at one point that Natsu had pinned down Gray and whispered, "I thought we agreed that fucking is better than fighting." Sting had pretended to choke on his drink, then searched out Freed and immediately demanded that he create some soundproofing runes in their house. He loved Natsu and Gray dearly, but did NOT need to hear them doing…whatever it was that they did behind their closed bedroom door.

Speaking of noises…

"I took out that crazy-ass bird thing by myself, popsicle pants!" Natsu's voice rang out over the hill behind their house, and Sting rolled his eyes, turning to Rogue and translating.

"It was a team effort, ash breath!" Gray's bellow was just as loud as Natsu's, which relieved Sting – he had been concerned that Gray might not be ready to go on a mission so soon, but everyone had told him to stop being such a mother hen. He rolled his eyes as the two crested the hill, Natsu's hand in Gray's hair, Gray's fist bunched in Natsu's vest. "Plus I took out a demon."

"Demon, shmemon," Natsu argued, pulling Gray into a headlock. The dark-haired boy growled and struggled against him, throwing Natsu backward until they both landed in a tangled pile of limbs. "You probably dropped your pants and it ran away in fear!"

Sting dropped his face into his palm, reluctantly translating for Rogue, who began to laugh. Erza, Lucy and Wendy came over the hill as well, and Erza just looked at the two and rolled her eyes.

 _Stay for dinner?_ Rogue signed to Sting, who looked surprised. _All of them. Family._ Sting's heart clenched, and he pulled Rogue into another hug.

 _Anything you want, love,_ he replied.

* * *

Dinner was a chaotic affair. Gray was really the only one who could cook anything decent, but he enlisted the help of Rogue and Freed, telling Sting and Natsu to get the hell out of his goddamn kitchen because if they destroyed it there would be hell to pay. They ended up back in the garden, sitting around the fire pit with Laxus, Erza, Wendy and Lucy.

"Did you want me to try again?" Wendy sat down next to Sting and gestured at his arms, and he realized that he had removed his gloves at some point. He gazed down at the scars, running his finger over the marred skin, and shook his head.

"Its okay, little bird," he replied, and she blushed at the nickname. "It's just…part of me now. Like all the rest of it." Wendy nodded sagely. Sting had come to realize that she likely had more sense than the rest of the dragon slayers put together.

"Grandeeney told me something once," she said. "I think she knew that things would be difficult for me." She paused for a moment, and Sting let the silence linger comfortably. "She said that terrible things happen to good people, and that those things can change us and sometimes even break us." Sting nodded. "But we aren't just a sum of what's happened to us." Wendy looked determined. "We're what we choose to become."

The words floated through Sting and he let them permeate him, swimming through his mind. He had always considered that he WAS what had happened to him. He was cruel and obsessed with power because he had been beaten, had been forced to watch someone he love get hurt over and over again. But now…he wasn't cruel. He found he had the capacity to be kind, and loving, and gentle. Was that the choice, then?

"Supper!" Gray appeared in the garden flanked by Freed and Rogue, each carrying trays of mouthwatering food and setting them on the long table. Natsu leaned backwards and tugged Gray forward, cupping his hands around Gray's neck and kissing him upside down.

"Thanks, snowflake," he whispered, loud enough for only the dragon slayers to hear. "Love you." Gray turned a deep shade of crimson, but echoed the sentiment, kissing him back.

Everyone began to load up plates, shuffling and reshuffling until everyone found a place around the fire. Rogue was the last one, and Sting reached for him, pulling his partner down onto his lap and kissing the side of his neck. He looked around the circle, smiling softly at his friends. Gray and Natsu had begun to argue about how to cook steak, while Erza threatened them, and Wendy and Lucy rolled their eyes. Freed sat on the ground between Laxus' legs, trying to be casual as Laxus ran a hand over the back of his shoulders. Happy sat on Lucy's head, trying to catch Charle's eye, who pointedly ignored him with a hint of affection in her eyes. Frosche had ambled over to Rogue and curled up in his lap, and Lector plopped himself down beside Sting, snuggling into his side.

Sting felt a rush of emotions flood through his body as he forced himself to stay in this moment. The sound of the sparks from the campfire, the taste of the meal, the smell of Rogue's hair, the feel of Lector's fur under his fingers, the sight of his friends – no, his _family_ surrounding him.

 _This_ , he thought, hugging Rogue tightly to him. _This is what I choose to become._


	14. Chapter 14

_Six Months Later_

"You are being a tease," Sting murmured, grasping Rogue's wandering hand under the table. Rogue felt the rumble in Sting's chest and glanced up at him. Sting repeated his statement in Rogue's ear. Rogue grinned, wriggling out of Sting's grasp and continuing to run his fingers up the inside of Sting's thigh.

"Maybe, but you like it," he replied softly, glancing around to make sure nobody was paying attention. The guild hall was fairly busy at this time of day, but everyone appeared preoccupied with their own business. Natsu and Gray had been sitting with them earlier, but an impromptu arm wrestle had turned into a full-fledged brawl, and Mirajane had kicked them out. Sting was fairly certain that the "brawl" was going to end up in their bed, and it appeared that Rogue had the same idea.

"Should we go home?" Rogue whispered, running his hand all the way to the junction of Sting's thigh, fingers brushing against the growing hardness there. Sting gasped and flinched instinctively, knee banging the underside of the table.

"Well now I can't stand _up_ ," he hissed into Rogue's ear, whimpering slightly as Rogue touched him again. "What's gotten – ngggnh – into you t-today?"

"Maybe I just like turning you into a quivering wreck," Rogue murmured, slowly withdrawing his hand from Sting's lap and laughing at the whine it elicited. "Here, carry my cloak. Let's get out of here."

Sting complied, grabbing the cloak from Rogue and standing, trying to look as casual as possible. By the time they made it outside he was able to give it back to Rogue, who grinned at him.

Rogue had made incredible progress over the past six months. His speech and comprehension were almost back to normal, and he had slowly been opening up to the rest of the guild. It had taken a long time to convince him that nobody blamed him for the incident with the shadow.

Their relationship had also been growing in different ways, but being intimate with each other had continued to pose challenges. Their various attempts at exploring each other's bodies had often been interrupted by panic attacks or flashbacks. Rogue struggled with allowing Sting to touch him, and it often ended with _stop_ , and _I'm sorry_ , and _I wish I wasn't so broken_ as he cried in Sting's arms.

Sting never held it against him. Being with Rogue was enough for him. But he couldn't deny that Rogue's teasing touches today left him wanting more.

 _Seriously, what's gotten into you?_ Sting signed, grabbing Rogue's hand as they headed down the street to their house. Rogue blushed, ducking his head.

 _I dunno,_ he admitted. _It's a beautiful day, I feel…really good, you're looking irresistible…_ Sting smiled at that, tugging on Rogue's hand to make him walk faster.

 _Are you feeling okay about it?_ They weaved through throngs of people standing around the market, finally making it to their door. Rogue didn't answer, just fished the keys out of his pocket, unlocked the door, and dragged Sting inside.

As soon as they closed the door behind them, Rogue grabbed Sting by his shirt and slammed him into the wall, pressing a deep kiss against his lips. Sting moaned and opened his mouth to Rogue, letting him take control. Rogue nipped at his bottom lip, then began to trail kisses down Sting's neck and into his throat.

"Ahhh…Rogue…mmmmnnn," Sting mumbled incoherently as teeth, tongue and lips assaulted the softest spot in his throat. Rogue ran his tongue from the hollow of Sting's throat to behind his ear, then nipped at the earlobe.

"I want this," Rogue panted, pressing his body against Sting's. Sting groaned as he felt Rogue's hardness grinding against his own. He jerked his hips forward and Rogue moaned. He leaned forward and bit Sting's shoulder, eliciting a yelp of pain and pleasure from the blonde boy. He glanced cautiously at Natsu and Gray's bedroom door, which was closed.

"Bed?" Sting murmured, and Rogue nodded in agreement, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards their bedroom. When they reached he bed, he shoved Sting backward, then climbed on top of him and straddled his hips.

"I…I need…" Rogue blushed, and Sting grabbed his chin with one hand, forcing him to look up. "I need to… _notbeinside_ ," Rogue mumbled, making it sound like one long word. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," Sting replied, reaching around the back of Rogue's neck and pulling him down for another bruising kiss. He had expected this. "You can have me any way you want me," he murmured into the other boy's ear, and Rogue moaned.

"Move up," he whispered, and Sting shimmied up the bed until he was lying with his hands above his head and Rogue on all fours over him. Then Rogue sat up and began to tug off his shirt.

This obviously wasn't the first time Sting had seen Rogue shirtless – they'd both seen each other naked before – but this was somehow different, the way Rogue chose to show Sting his body. He seemed proud of it, not hiding his scars. Sting rumbled appreciatively and ran his hands down Rogue's chest and stomach, dipping a finger below his waistline. Rogue shivered, then leaned down and tugged at Sting's shirt, pulling him into a sitting position.

Rogue pulled Sting against him and made a soft sound of pleasure at the feel of skin on skin. He moved so that he was sitting in Sting's lap, then rocked himself forward, pressing his erection against Sting's.

"Oh, fuck, Rogue," Sting moaned, grabbing Rogue's hips and pulling him in again. "Mmmm…aaah that feels good." Rogue buried his face in Sting's shoulder, kissing and licking him there while he pushed against Sting over and over again. "Nggggh, Rogue…ah, stop, I don't wanna…aah! Don't wanna come yet." He grasped Rogue's shoulders, pushing him backward onto the bed until Sting was leaning over his stomach, trailing kisses down toward the waistline of his pants.

"Gnnnnghhhgods Sting," Rogue murmured, reaching down and tangling his fingers into the blonde hair. Sting trailed his fingers lower, running over Rogue's thighs, then bent down and nuzzled his partner's erection. A soft whimpering sound came from above him, and Sting took the fabric of Rogue's pants in his teeth and began to pull down until Rogue was completely exposed.

"Mmmm," Sting hummed appreciatively, before placing a tentative kiss at the base of Rogue's cock. He heard a soft gasp and sat up, looking into Rogue's eyes.

 _Is this okay?_ Rogue's eyes were glassy, but he gave Sting a wide grin.

"Please?" His voice was shaky but certain, and Sting grinned, dipping back down again.

Rogue groaned as he felt the wet heat surrounding him, fingers touching him, soft vibrations when Sting hummed in pleasure. Then he felt a hand exploring further downward, slowly and questioning. Rogue reached down and squeezed Sting's shoulder, encouraging him to keep going.

It hurt at first, but Sting distracted him with his mouth, alternating between soft kisses and gentle pressure, slowly adding fingers until Rogue was a quivering, moaning wreck. Sting slid out of him, gently, then moved upwards and pressed a soft kiss to Rogue's lips. He could feel Sting shuffling out of his pants, and then he pressed against Rogue, skin on skin, and Rogue thought he might die.

"You make me feel so good, Rogue," Sting whispered into his ear, pressing harder against him. "Are you ready?" Rogue nodded quickly, not trusting himself to speak.

Sting tugged Rogue's shoulders until he was sitting up, and Sting lay back down on the bed, motioning for Rogue to straddle his thighs.

 _I thought it might be easier,_ he signed, _if I'm not on top of you._ Rogue felt hot tears burning behind his eyes, and his heart ached at Sting's thoughtfulness. He smiled softly, leaning down and taking Sting into is mouth.

Keeping one hand on Sting's chest so he could feel the vibrations of his moans, he dipped his mouth over Sting's hardness, trying to mimic the sensations he had felt earlier. Sting's chest rumbled beneath his fingertips as he kissed and licked and then left a hot, wet trail up the blonde boy's stomach and chest, nipping gently at his collarbone.

"C'mere you," Sting murmured, grasping Rogue's hips and pulling him up so his legs straddled Sting's hips. "You okay?" Rogue swallowed heavily, but nodded. This was okay. This wasn't something _she_ had done. This belonged to them. "Go as slow as you want. And if you change your mind, that's okay." Sting cupped Rogue's face in his hand and pulled him down for another kiss. "I love you no matter what."

Rogue nodded, letting Sting slowly guide him downward. The sensation felt strange at first, stinging a bit, and he had to motion for Sting to stop halfway, but once he got used to it, he pressed himself the rest of the way down.

"Fuuuuck," Sting hissed, fingernails digging into Rogue's hips. "Holy shit." Rogue breathed deeply for a moment, forehead pressed to Sting's. "You okay?"

"Yes," Rogue murmured, pressing backward experimentally. It felt good. Really good. He reached forward and grabbed the headboard, leveraging himself against it as he slid up a bit and then pressed himself back down.

"Oh my god, Rogue…" Sting's head was thrown back, mouth open, lips flushed from kissing and hair spread in a ridiculous sunburst across the pillow. Rogue could tell he was trying desperately not to move, to let him take control and move when he wanted. _What did I do to deserve you?_ He thought, rocking back again and feeling pleasure pool deep in his belly.

"Stingggg," he whispered, leaning forward as he rocked back and forth, gasping at each sensation. He reached down with his free hand and touched Sting's hip, encouraging him to move.

Sting shifted upward, and Rogue cried out as something sparked inside him.

"Ahh…Sting…do that again," he begged, and Sting obliged, thrusting his hips upward into Rogue.

"You feel so good," Sting moaned, catching Rogue's gaze and reaching up to him, running fingers through his hair. _You make me feel so good._

He placed one hand at the base of Rogue's spine, fingers splayed, holding him in place while he thrust into him. The other slid between them and grasped Rogue's hardness, stroking and teasing him to the same rhythm.

"Nggnhh…ahh…S-sting…" Rogue trembled above him, and the two became lost in the noises of each other, the heat, the sound of panting and begging and skin on skin.

And then without warning, Rogue was crying out, exploding into something new, a feeling that spread through his stomach and into his chest and made him feel dizzy and weightless. Sting let out a deep, low groan underneath him, and Rogue saw his eyebrows furrow and his face transform into something that looked like utter bliss.

Sting gasped, breathing slowly returning to normal, when he felt hot drops of tears on his chest.

"C'mere, love," he said softly, grabbing his discarded shirt to wipe up their mess and dragging Rogue down into the crook of his arm. "It's okay, you're okay." He stroked Rogue's hair, kissing his forehead gently. "You're safe."

"I know," Rogue whispered, looking up at him and smiling softly. Sting felt a flood of contentment – these weren't terrified tears, they were…relieved. Happy, even. "I know, I'm okay." Sting drew Rogue tighter against him and ran a hand down his back, feeling wetness prickle behind his own eyes.

"That felt amazing," he whispered into Rogue's ear, and he felt the other boy laugh softly beneath him, nodding into Sting's chest. "You are amazing."

They lay like that for over an hour, holding each other tight and revelling in this new form of intimacy. Eventually, Sting propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Rogue, smiling fondly.

"We made it," he said quietly, tracing the Fairy Tail mark on Rogue's shoulder. Rogue smiled and touched his cheek. "We're gonna be okay."

There was a sudden bang on the door and Sting jumped.

"Oi, if you two are done…canoodling or whatever, Gray's making ramen!" Sting laughed, translating for Rogue. "And we're gonna go get ice cream and watch a movie so get your butts outta bed!"

"Well, I guess we'll just have to come back to this later," Sting grinned, dropping his forehead against Rogue's and kissing the tip of his nose. Ramen (particularly Gray's), ice cream and a movie with their roommates sounded like a perfect night, but he _really_ didn't want to leave the bed.

"I'd like that," Rogue whispered, pressing his lips to Sting's. "But first, I want ice cream."

 _Yep,_ thought Sting as he watched Rogue roll out of bed. _We're definitely gonna be okay._

* * *

 _A/N: Well, there you are. The end. I'm contemplating doing a third chapter (mostly just because I love the four of them living together and want to write all the fluffy things about them), but I am currently working on my other story, "crash & burn", so I'll see what happens after that. I hope you enjoyed the ride! Please let me know what you thought!_


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